Pride of Four
by Sivam
Summary: Ruby Rose, Yang Branwen, Weiss Schnee and Blake Belladonna all share one thing in common. They never have met their real fathers. When sheer circumstance brings them together, they find themselves having to defend Beacon Academy and the rest of Remnant from foes they never thought could have existed. AR (Alternate Reality)
1. Divine Intervention

**A/N:**

 **Hey guys, this is my new project that I shall be working on in conjunction with This War of Mine. This is more of a test chapter to see if you guys like it. If you guys enjoy what's here so far, then awesome, I'll post more at later dates. Now I have a few things that need to be covered here, so before we get started, please bear with me.**

 **First and foremost, there will be** **no** **aspects or elements from the Xenoverse games. The only thing I have taken from them is Chronoa, the Supreme Kai of Time, and I've changed her role to fit the story.**

 **I try and avoid making OCs if possible, but here it was necessary. There will be two important OCs in this story, and I am trying my absolute best to attempt developing them properly and making them likeable. Please let me know how I do on this. I understand if OC's aren't your thing, but please bear with me this chapter. I want to see if I established them well.**

 **This story will be primarily RWBY-Centric, meaning that it follows Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang respectively. Dragon Ball characters like Goku and Vegeta will make their grand appearance later on in the story, so don't think I've thrown them aside. That being said, if its not your cup of tea, that's completely fine.**

 **Also, the editors or beta readers for this story are Doomguy914 and Cruzerblade. They have both put in an absurd amount of effort, so a huge thanks to them for doing this for me. Without further ado, here is my latest story.**

* * *

 _Chapter One: Divine Intervention_

Being the Supreme Kai for Universe Thirteen was suffering.

"My goodness, for a Supreme Kai, you are truly incapable of thinking coherently. Not only that, but you are incredibly distracting! Can't you see I'm playing an important chess match over here? I'm trying to decide whether or not I should blow up a planet this century."

"There isn't going to be a planet to destroy if the universe doesn't exist! Zeno has just erased Universes eighteen, seventeen and sixteen! Do you realize what this means!?" the small pink Kai cried indignantly. The God of Destruction lazily leaned back in his chair, not even bothering to turn his head to answer her question. He merely shrugged, rolling his eyes in clear disinterest.

"I don't see how that's _my_ problem."

Chronoa paced back and forth incessantly when she had heard the news from Universe Thirteen's angel, Luna. Apparently, Zeno had started erasing the weaker universes over the past fifty years and she hadn't even realized! Now, out of the supposed eighteen universes, only fifteen remained! The fact of the matter was, Zeno had suddenly changed his mind about having so many universes, so he decided to chisel away at the weaker ones until he had a certain number left! What that number was, she didn't know.

Zeno had the attention span of a five-year-old, despite being the oldest entity in existence, his actions mirrored a frustrated child!

Worst thing was, Universe Thirteen _was_ one of the weaker universes of the former eighteen, and they were definitely in line to be erased! Thankfully, Zeno seemed to be erasing them after observing them for a couple of decades. She was informed by Luna that Zeno now had his sights set on thirteen, through fifteen. What was she supposed to do!? Solaris was too busy playing chess with himself for the past millennia to notice that their universe was going to be erased!

"Do you hear me Solaris!? We are next in-line to kick the dust! What are we going to do?!" Chronoa cried, knocking the God's chessboard off the table. He grumbled irritably before motioning to Luna to fix the mess. A quick tap of her staff had the chess board back up and reverting to how it was moments before. "We can't just sit around and wait to get erased! We need to do something!"

Turning his attention away from his precious game, he ran a hand through his dark brown, trimmed hair. His divine golden eyes zeroed in on the Supreme Kai, annoyance burning throughout his human form. He crossed his legs, his wine colored pants shifting as he did so. His God of Destruction attire did get rather tiring to wear all the time, but according to Luna, he had no choice but to wear it. Besides, it grew on him, and in the places he visited, it had become a symbol of fear and respect. He couldn't help but love that.

"Why don't you stop flapping your gums and think of something then? You're the Supreme Kai, do your job and think up a solution," the Destruction God replied lazily, his primary focus maintained on his chess game. What made a good fighter was not just his power, but his intellect as well. Despite his angel Luna, constantly nagging him to continue his training towards learning the ability to move his body without conscious thought, he was determined to not only be the strongest God of Destruction, but the smartest.

"You inconsiderate jerk! You're supposed to be helping me!" Chronoa practically screamed. "We are supposed to maintain the balance in our Universe! How can we do that when we are about to be erased!? Zeno is probably watching us right now and gauging our mortal power level! We are weaker than Universe Nine for goodness sake!"

"Why is it my problem that our universe's mortal level is so low? I'm a God of Destruction, I destroy, you create. That is how this works, remember?"

"We wouldn't be having this problem if you didn't go and destroy all the promising planets that had powerful populations on them!"

"I only destroy planets that have races on them that were getting ready to wage war against any other planet that so much as looked at them the wrong way! I will not allow such sensitive races to belong in our universe. I am meant to keep the balance, and that's what I am doing!" Solaris argued, growling in frustration. "I don't blow up planets without having good reason to do so."

"Oh yeah?" Chronoa scoffed. "What about four hundred years ago when you blew up a planet because they didn't know what chess was!"

"I was having a bad day! Besides, who doesn't know what chess is!?"

"You don't blow up planets for not knowing what a stupid game is!"

"It was one time!" Solaris roared, having lost his patience with the Kai. She seemed determined to get on his bad side today, but she knew despite how angry he got, he could never touch her. If she died, he died too. Solaris always cursed that ridiculous rule, and wondered who had come up with such a laughable exploit.

"That's my problem! _One time_ is too many!"

"Then _**fix**_ it."

"I am trying!" Chronoa retorted angrily. "But so far, I haven't been able to come up with anything, so I'm asking you two for help!"

"Children!" the angel cut-in with an authoritative tone. Solaris and Chronoa immediately shut their mouths as Luna, the angel of Universe thirteen decided to participate in the conversation, seeing as these two seemed to have trouble getting along whenever they talked. It always devolved into shouting matches or eventually boiled down to who could insult the other better. It was a shame Chronoa couldn't spend more time with the other Kais, opting instead to try and get along with Solaris. A proper relationship between a God of Destruction and their Supreme Kai was bound to project a good image for their Universe. However, it was a work in progress.

"How about we calm down and think through this logically? Surely shouting at each other isn't going to solve our problem."

Solaris sighed, taking a few moments to dismiss his growing anger with the Supreme Kai. Chronoa merely huffed and turned away while Solaris turned to Luna. Sometimes, the God found himself strangely fascinated at how similar Luna looked to Vados of Universe Six. The most obvious difference is how Luna didn't have her hair tied up and opted to have it loose. Her long silver hair flowed all the way down her back and down to the back of her knees. She had a few strands that hung over her forehead, but never quite covered her eyes.

He understood that all angels were children of the Grand Priest, and therefore brothers and sisters, but there were some angels that looked vastly different.

"Alright, what do you suppose we do then? We can't just improve our mortal level to stand on even ground with the other Universes. Especially when Universe Eleven has Jiren. I can't understand how Belmod can take playing second fiddle to a mortal in the very realm he governs. Doesn't make any sense to me," Solaris stated, returning his attention to the chess board and moving another piece. Chronoa sighed and took a seat opposite to him, resting her head in her hands. She was distraught no doubt, and certainly didn't want to be erased. Solaris didn't either, but he was a logical realist. He didn't see a way of producing warriors strong enough to keep them from being victims of Zeno's boredom.

"I don't want to be erased…" she moaned. Solaris rolled his eyes while Luna cleared her throat.

"May I make a suggestion?" the angel stated, drawing both Solaris and Chronoa's attention. Solaris motioned for her to go ahead. "Perhaps we should ask some of the stronger warriors from the other universes, to lend their aid in supplying us the necessary components to birth our own strong warriors? Judging by the rate Zeno has been erasing the other universes, we should have enough time to raise our average enough to be acceptable."

Solaris and Chronoa exchanged looks, each seemed to be considering the idea. Luna looked pleased with her suggestion, seeing as both of them seemed to be liking the idea the more they thought about it. They only had a handful of habitable planets in their universe, and Zeno judged the power scale by how strong those collective planets were. If they could make at least one of their inhabitable planets stand out by a wide margin, they should be able to avoid getting erased!

"That just might work!" Chronoa exclaimed, shooting out of her seat in excitement. Solaris nodded his head in agreement.

"This idea is plausible. We would have to convince the other deities to cooperate. I know for a fact we shouldn't bother with Universe Eleven, but we might as well try," the Destruction God added lazily. It was at this moment, that Luna, decided to weigh in on the conversation more than she had intended, seeing as she was quite fond of the universe she was helping rule over. She did not desire to see it erased by Zeno.

"You should avoid asking Universe Seven or Nine, seeing as they were stated to have the lowest mortal power average, aside from us, fourteen and fifteen of course. Although, if we have no other choice, they might be our last option if everyone else refuses us," Luna intervened once again. Chronoa rubbed her hands together in an attempt to psyche herself up for what seemed like a strenuous task. How was she going to convince the other Supreme Kais and Gods to help them? The universes weren't exactly known to be friendly towards one another, especially when Zeno was playing his role as the Omni-King.

"While this idea could work, I'm more worried about the ethics of these actions. We are going to look pathetic asking the other Universes for help. I will be ridiculed by the other gods for trying to leech off them. Avoid talking to the other Gods and their Angels, and go directly to the Kai's," Solaris suggested, turning his attention to Chronoa. She let out a nervous laugh at his statement.

"Yeah, you do have a point there. We do seem rather desperate. Those other Gods aren't exactly known for their generosity."

"Do make sure you take care when travelling, dear," Luna smiled sweetly, causing Chronoa to sigh in understanding. Looks like she would be the one to carry out this task.

"I suppose that means I'm the one going?" Chronoa asked, only to receive two nods. She exhaled dramatically, preparing herself for the road ahead.

"Okay, wish me luck!" She closed her eyes and focused, phasing out of existence in a few short seconds. Solaris mumbled something under his breath as he moved another piece, ending the game via checkmate. He stood up and turned to Luna, shoving his hands in his pockets as the two walked across the their sacred planet, where only Kais and Gods could visit. For a mortal to ever set foot here would be considered blasphemy to Solaris.

"Be honest with me Luna, you've trained me and been my loyal guide for as long as I can remember. Do we have any chance of survival? I don't want to give myself false hope," Solaris asked. Luna remained silent for a while, as she floated beside her God of Destruction. She had come to form a very tight bond with Solaris, despite his outlook on mortals. He took his job seriously when the moment called for it, and more often than not, he was more than ready to make important decisions without her guidance. He only really neglected his job when there wasn't much that called for his attention. She could appreciate his growth and maturity since he had ascended to Godhood. He didn't go out looking for trouble like _some_ other gods they knew.

However, his disdain for mortals had grown over the many millenia. He didn't like them, and never got on well with the them when the rare occasion demanded he do so. He didn't view them as important, or that they were worth his time. He was a rather lazy god, but very intelligent. He only destroyed when absolutely necessary.

"While Chronoa is an obvious klutz of a Supreme Kai, she is very talented when it comes to convincing people. However, the nature of the other Universes are not so simple. I do not see us receiving any help from universes with higher mortal levels. Our best bet is to see if she can convince some of the lower universes to aid us," Luna stated. She tapped the ground with her staff twice, revealing a particular universe. "While I did warn her to stay away from this one, Universe Seven has two particular individuals capable of surpassing even the Gods."

"Mortals surpassing Beerus? That arrogant cat would never let a mortal surpass him, seeing as he is one of the strongest Gods of Destruction. Universe 7 is only marginally stronger than our own, how did it spawn two morals capable of giving him a challenge?" he asked curiously. Luna chuckled lightly as she tapped her staff again, revealing two individuals, one with unruly spiky hair, and another with straight spiky hair. One looked cheerful, while the other one looked rather annoyed.

"They are the last two surviving members of the Saiyan race. Apparently it was a very strong warrior race capable of getting more powerful after every battle they have. It seems there's a similar race residing in Universe Six, though none of them even come close to the strength of their universe 7 counterparts," Luna explained. Solaris noted the clothing they were wearing, an expression of disdain crossing his features.

"They're wearing symbols similar to Whis's insignia. Is the Angel of universe seven training mortals? I thought that was forbidden?"

"You said it would be forbidden _here_. You don't like interfering with mortal affairs. Beerus and Whis don't seem to care."

"I see," Solaris murmured, eyeing the two individuals. Time seemed to play tricks on his memory. He had forgotten that he had disavowed the training of any promising mortal. He refused to have anyone train in this godly realm. "You suspect Chronoa might end up approaching these two? Beerus would never agree to help us. He's selfish, and doesn't care for any other universe apart from six. "

"That's why I warned Chronoa to stay away from this universe. If my assumptions are correct, she will get tired of rejection and start asking the warriors themselves."

Solaris's mouth dropped open when he had realised what Luna had done.

"I'm not sure Chronoa will like having her time wasted. You could have just told her to go directly to Universe Seven and save her the trouble."

Luna merely smiled innocently.

"But where's the fun in that?"

* * *

A few months into her quest and so far her errand had been a complete failure.

Chronoa had been turned down from every universe's Supreme Kai, and now her only options were Universes seven and nine. She was well acquainted with universe nine's Supreme Kai, and he was sadistically crazy. She had long since become tired of rejection from the Supreme Kais and had resorted to asking the residents of each universe directly, only to be denied at every turn. Now she had landed in Universe Seven, deciding to blatantly ignore Universe Nine. She couldn't risk returning empty handed.

She was growing desperate now.

Jumping around different worlds in Universe Seven was a pain, she had no idea where she was going, and she was only following a trail of what seemed to be a high power level. Eventually, she came across a smaller planet that was a mixture of blue and green. Two extraordinarily high powers were currently down there, and it only took a moment for her to realize that it was this energy she was tracking. Chronoa hoped that Shin and the rest of the Kai's wouldn't mind if she borrowed some life essence from these two. She also hoped they were nice enough to help her out! She was screwed if they weren't.

Landing on planet Earth, she decided to have a look around. It wasn't the most impressive planet she had been to, but it certainly had its fair share of fighters. She could sense an abundance of high powers all over the planet! Though the two most prominent ones seemed to be fighting at a single place. Chronoa made her way across the planet, making sure to keep her energy masked as she approached a floating platform in the sky. Landing on the stainless tiles, she was approached by a green skinned humanoid. Having previously visited the planet Namek, she immediately recognized the figure as being a Namekian.

She wondered why one was so far away from home...

"Hello?" Chronoa called out to the Namekian approaching her. It held a walking stick that was only slightly taller than it. It wore a set of robes, as if to give off the message that it was some type of guardian. Some planets had them, some didn't, but she had a feeling that this younger Namekian had landed the job of being a guardian of Earth. Plus, from what she had heard, Namekians had the ability to create Dragon Balls! Very powerful artifacts, and very dangerous when in the wrong hands.

"Greetings! My name is Dende. I am the Guardian of Earth, and judging from your attire and those earrings, I can only assume you are a Kai. What can I do for you?" he asked respectfully. Chronoa exhaled in relief. Finally someone who was actually willing to give her the time of day! She couldn't believe how many of the other universes just straight out denied her request before she even opened her mouth. Clearly, universes fourteen and fifteen had been trying a similar tactic!

"Thank you! My name is Chronoa. I'm the Supreme Kai of Universe Thirteen," she introduced. Dende did the first thing that came to mind and bowed his head out of respect. The tiny pink Kai merely sighed as the Guardian of Earth returned his gaze towards her. "My universe is in big trouble of being erased by Lord Zeno. Our mortal level is low enough that he might consider wiping us out! I'm looking for strong warriors to lend aid to us in order for our universe to survive!" Chronoa exclaimed desperately. Dende gave her a blank look of confusion, causing the Kai to twitch slightly.

"Uh… you do know who Lord Zeno is right?"

"Of course," Dende responded, an unsure expression reflecting across his features. "But I'm not sure what you expect us to do. It's unfortunate that this is happening to you but I don't think it's up to me to make the decision to give you our strongest fighters. That would put _us_ in trouble…" the green guardian retorted. However, it seemed like the Kai wasn't quite done yet.

"It's not like that at all! I'm not asking you to give them away. I just want to talk to them to see if they could help us in another way. It doesn't involve them leaving. I promise!"

His kind heart wouldn't allow him to turn her away when she looked so desperate. Although he still wasn't sure he could agree to what she was asking.

"Still… I don't think I'm the one you should be talking to about a situation like this. Perhaps you should talk to our Supreme Kai, or maybe Lord Beerus-"

"No!" Chronoa cut him off with a surprising amount of aggression. "I've been turned down at practically every turn! Please, I have to talk to your strongest warriors! I promise I'm not going to steal them away! I had a different idea in mind. Please," Chronoa practically begged. There was a clear desperation in her eyes, something that Dende wouldn't dare ignore.

Dende placed a hand to his chin in thought. Goku and Vegeta had only just returned from the future after beating Zamasu. Thankfully, their fusion into Vegito had managed to put an end to Zamasu, along with Trunk's own power. The immortals body had been completely destroyed, and thus, left his soul wandering the endless spaces of the future timeline for all eternity. The idea that they could completely destroy an immortal being seemed impossible but they had done it anyway.

It had been a few weeks since then and the two Saiyans had returned, and had since resumed training. In fact, they had decided to train up here on the Lookout for this particular day.

"I suppose I can do something. Wait here for a few moments, I'll go talk to our strongest fighters."

Dende turned and walked into the palace that sat on top of the Lookout. Chronoa exhaled once again as she psyched herself up to confront the warriors of Universe Seven. She had to be convincing, otherwise her universe would have no hope of surviving! That was something she couldn't afford, and to be quite honest, these two fighters might be her last hope! Universe Nine was filled to the brim with scoundrels and thieves. They _did_ have the worst reputation out of all the universes after all. She might as well give up if she was denied here.

When Dende returned, Chronoa got a good look at the two fighters she was about to talk to. One of them was significantly taller than the other, and both of them were equally as strong. She could feel the power emanating from them. Her universe had nothing like this! How had two mortals grown so powerful!? Surely Beerus should have noticed these two by now!?

"Hey there!" the one in the orange clothing waved. Chronoa hesitantly returned the gesture as the two fighters approached her. "My name is Goku. I have to say this is a surprise visit. I don't think we were expecting to get a visit from another Supreme Kai."

"Thank you so much for taking the time to see me. Please, I have a very important request from you-"

"Save your breath," the smaller one cut in, his rough voice sending chills down Chronoa's spine. "Dende has already given us the details as to why you're here. Hurry up and explain what you want us to do so we can get back to training," he growled. It seemed this man wanted her to get straight to the point. He clearly wasn't in the mood for a civil conversation.

This certainly was a rather strange situation she had found herself in!

"R-Right then. Our Universe is in need of stronger warriors in order to survive Zeno's wrath. I have journeyed here to ask if you are willing to part with some of your life energy so that we may create warriors of our own," Chronoa explained to the two Saiyans. Goku and Vegeta shared a look between them before returning their gaze to Chronoa. "Please, I'm not asking much from you. We _need_ this to survive."

"You want us to depart with some of our energy, so you can artificially create Saiyans for your universe?" Vegeta questioned with an amused smirk. "What do you think Kakarot? Do you think that sounds like a plausible idea? I'm not sure I'm convinced she's doing this for the reasons she says she is."

"Oh come on Vegeta! Just look at how desperate she is!" Goku gestured to Chronoa, who's eyes were borderline watering from giving up. She couldn't find it within herself to deny the claims Vegeta had made. They were trying to basically steal genes from stronger warriors of other universes so that they could raise their mortal level high enough. If they managed it, Zeno would probably give them a pass. "What's the problem with sparing some of our energy, it's not like we haven't done it before. If they are going to use it to create more Saiyans, that just means we will have more Saiyans to fight with later on!" Goku grinned, the idea sending waves of excitement rolling through his body.

"Does that mean you will do it?" Chronoa asked. Goku turned to her with a smile on his face.

"Sure!" he extended his hand, a bright ball of energy expanding in his palm. Chronoa looked at it in wonder. She couldn't believe what she was sensing! There was some _godly_ ki in there! How was it possible that these two Saiyans had godly ki!? Mortals with the power to access the divine energy of the Gods!? Had she hit the jackpot here!? The ball of energy seemed to be a mixture of golden, red and blue energies! It was absolutely incredible! She reached out and took it, absorbing the ki through her palms and storing it away. She would be using it later in conjunction with her own powers. It was enough energy to conceive at least two warriors!

She turned to Vegeta, whose expression had morphed into a scowl.

"You expect me to just give away my power like the fool standing next to me!?" Vegeta growled. Goku rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"Sheesh Vegeta, I don't see what the big deal is," Goku retorted. Vegeta turned to his Saiyan rival, anger clearly displayed on his face.

"Of course you wouldn't see it! You do realize that these Saiyans they are creating will be directly related to us. Whoever their maternal parent is, they will have both our genes and genes of whatever race they happen to be. They will be _our_ children Kakarot! Did that not seem obvious?" Vegeta explained. Goku placed a finger on his chin in thought, before shrugging. "What would your wife think? What would Gohan think? Bulma would have my head before I would have a chance to agree to something like this!"

"What do Chi-Chi and Gohan have to do with this?"

"We are siring children with another female you idiot! Was that not clear!?"

"I'm not sure I really seeing the problem here Vegeta. We're giving our energy to help another universe create strong warriors. Who cares if they end up being related to us or not? I'm sure Bulma and Chi-Chi would understand. It's not like we are going out of our way to spend time with other women," Goku pointed out. That was something that actually managed to give Vegeta pause. His desire to expand his royal lineage was starting to get in the way of his fierce loyalty to his family. "Besides, they're an entire universe away. I don't see the problem."

"They're going to be our children! Do you not feel any kind of responsibility for that?"

"I don't really mind. As long as I get to meet them when they grow up. I'm sure they will be awesome sparring partners!" Goku grinned once again. Vegeta growled, turning his head away, muttering a string of curses about Goku's simplistic nature as a Saiyan warrior. The Prince of all Saiyans then turned his attention back to the Kai in front of him. A darker scowl returning to his features, forcing the smaller Kai to take an unconscious step back.

"You! Kai! Listen up!" Vegeta snapped. Chronoa was immediately standing up straight, making sure she would register every word Vegeta was about to say. "I'm not about to give away my energy because your universe is in danger of being erased. I couldn't care less about your situation, however the simpleton beside me has a decent point about these Saiyans being strong when they grow up. If you want my energy, you're going to have to agree to some terms first."

Chronoa swallowed nervously.

"W-What are your terms?"

"When they are born, ensure that they keep their tails. It will be a true sign of their royal lineage, and I will not have it squandered there like it has been here," Vegeta stated in a serious tone. Chronoa nodded, committing that to memory. She didn't know that Saiyans were born with tails, seeing that Goku nor Vegeta had one. It didn't seem like a big deal, but she'd have to find a planet that would accept having someone born with a tail.

"Hey, that's a pretty good idea! Come to think of it, I kind of miss my tail…" Goku absently commented. "Although, transforming during the full moon would be a small hassle. Oh well, I'm sure you can figure something out," he finished with a grin. Chronoa was about to comment on that before Vegeta interrupted her and continued with his demands.

"My second term, is that I will be able to meet them when they come of age, which means it will be your job to ensure that they survive and grow strong enough for that to happen. If I'm going to have extended family, I will not accept being unable to meet them. They will be Saiyans first and foremost, and they need to know there are others like them," Vegeta continued. Chronoa nodded, the terms being fairly easy to accept so far. She wasn't sure how Solaris or Luna would react to Vegeta's demands to meet them. It was bad enough she was going behind Shin's back and doing this. Beerus would have a fit when he found out!

"I don't see any problems with these terms. Are there any others you wish to instate?"

"Boots… size nine," Vegeta stated. Chronoa blinked.

"What?"

"You heard me."

Chronoa gave Vegeta an absent stare while Goku burst into hysterical tears. The taller Saiyan actually fell over laughing while Vegeta stood as still as he had been, his arms crossed, retaining that unamused look he had been wearing since the start of the conversation. She gave a nervous chuckle and snapped her fingers, creating the perfect size nine boots Vegeta had requested from her. She wasn't sure why he had requested such a strange item as part of his terms, but she wasn't about to complain.

"Perfect," Vegeta quickly slipped them on and turned to Goku. "Kakarot, think fast!" Vegeta nailed his rival in the stomach so hard, he sent the taller Saiyan flying into the distance. Vegeta snorted in satisfaction before turning to the Supreme Kai of Universe Thirteen. Chronoa couldn't look more confused if she actually tried! She couldn't wrap her head around this man's attitude and personality, one moment he was all business, and the next he was getting ready to start training again!

Vegeta held out a hand and summoned a ball of his own energy before sending it towards the Kai. She took it into her being gracefully, making sure she stored it properly to use later. The fierce looking Saiyan glared at her one more time.

"Ensure you follow my terms. If I find out you have misused my power, I'll make it my own personal mission to rain hell upon your universe. I'll go through your God of Destruction if I have to," Vegeta stated before he disappeared from sight, leaving Chronoa by herself with Dende watching from a distance. She chuckled to herself before waving her thanks and goodbyes towards Dende. She had finally achieved her goal and managed to gather energy from two extraordinarily powerful individuals. Now she just had to find a planet in her universe that would be compatible with the power she had!

Chronoa disappeared, returning to her own universe, with the power of two Super Saiyan Gods in her hands.

She still couldn't believe her luck!

* * *

When Chronoa returned to Universe thirteen, Solaris and Luna were waiting patiently for her eventual return. Luna had tapped her staff, revealing a hologram of a planet with a shattered moon. As Chronoa approached it, she recognised the planet as Remnant. It was one of their weaker planets, but from what she was hearing, its population consisted of humans, and animal-like humans known as faunus. She also noted that Solaris and Luna were already in the middle of a heated conversation.

"No, absolutely not. We will not raise them here. If we are going to do this, it will be done the right way. Besides, it is not the duty of a God to raise mortal children," Solaris vehemently denied. Luna merely sighed dramatically. He was particularly stubborn, but that was a trait she had come to admire when she was training him. He was incapable of admitting defeat, and would fight until the bitter end. Either he ran out of energy, or she was forced to knock him out.

"Solaris, I was merely suggesting that if we train them, their strength would grow a great deal faster than if they were left to their own devices. It would save a lot of time and give us a better chance of avoiding Zeno's ire." Luna retorted with a rather sour look on her face. Solaris waved her off much to her displeasure.

"I don't care what your point is, we will not be raising children in this realm. It's bad enough we've had to resort to taking energy from another universe. If we train them here, they will be coddled. While they will grow strong, they will never have any true battle experience. There are much better alternatives to raising them here. We have plenty of time to train them later once they have gained enough power _and_ experience. At that point, I will test them myself," the Destruction God growled.

"So you prefer to monitor their progress as they mature, and if they begin to stagnate, I suppose it will be our job to create obstacles for them to overcome? Is that what you have planned my lord?" Luna raised an eyebrow while Solaris merely smirked.

"If those warriors grow stronger, they will no doubt encourage those around them to also strive for greatness. That way we get the best results possible. Do you not agree?"

"Of course, my lord. I was merely proposing other solutions."

"Hey… I'm back!" Chronoa called out as she approached the two. Luna gave her a welcoming smile while Solaris merely rolled his eyes.

"You certainly took your time. I assume you were successful in gathering what we need?" Solaris asked in a rather bored tone. The Kai nodded as she brought out the two spheres of energy. Both Solaris and Luna shared knowing smiles when they sensed the godly ki inside the two balls of light. The Angel had easily predicted what the Supreme Kai would do while she had been away. The energy Chronoa had collected would be enough for them to create at least four strong warriors. Hopefully that would be enough to raise their mortal power average when they grew up.

However, they did seem to be putting all their eggs in one basket. They didn't exactly know what else to do. Solaris refused to get involved with mortals, the mere concept of mingling with mortals had been all but lost to him over the thousands of years he had reigned as a God. He and Luna had watched the rise and fall of different civilizations across all the habitable planets in Universe Thirteen. Solaris started to see them as nothing more than insignificant pawns.

He had destroyed so many planets and civilizations, he had lost count a long time ago. So many worlds with unique species that threatened to upset the balance of their universe, gone. He hadn't bothered to try to and talk certain civilizations out of upsetting the balance, he had just annihilated them without a care, or shred of remorse. Most of the other Gods of Destruction had the same attitude, but Solaris made a point out of brutally extinguishing those who overstepped the line. As long as the other races didn't threaten to upset the balance of the universe, he didn't have a problem.

"I've got exactly what we need! Now all we need is to find suitable candidates," Chronoa explained as she took a look at the planet Luna had conjured through her staff. "I assume Remnant is our planet of choice?"

Remnant had been one of the original planets in their Universe. It was also one of the most boring and underdeveloped planets under their care. There was nothing about the two species on this planet that particularly stood out, nor did their feats manage to peak the interest of him, Luna or the rest of the Universe. In fact, they were rather uninteresting. Now it seemed, they had the perfect opportunity to be one of the strongest, and most interesting planets in Universe Thirteen.

If everything worked out, then they would no doubt attract attention from nearby worlds.

"Bah!" Solaris exclaimed, disgust lacing his tone. "Remnant… of all the places. Why are we picking that world again? Last time I checked they were too busy throwing multi-colored rocks at each other and calling it a _weapon_. Surely there are better alternatives than that mudball of a planet," he finished, clearly unhappy with the world they picked. Luna merely sighed, a tired looking smile gracing her face. It seemed he still didn't like the decision they had come to.

"While we have multiple planets in our Universe that are much stronger, they all seem to be lacking in other more important areas such as technology and intellect. Remnant has had a surprising technological growth over the past millennia, and their potential to exceed their limits has become more prevalent as their species develops. You would know, you share their biological form. I have made sure to keep an eye on all inhabited worlds and Remnant shows much promise," Luna replied rather quickly, like the information had come off the top of her head.

"I do not share anything with those simpletons. My kind passed long ago. I can barely remember the planet we came from," Solaris grumbled, his tone grew dark as his mind attempted to recollect lost memories, but failed spectacularly. Time was a cruel mistress when it came to precious memories he wished he could reclaim. "I'm sure there are other worlds we could pick from."

"I'm sure you are right Lord Solaris," Luna stated, taking up a different tone with her God. He merely raised his eyes in response to the Angel's change of tone. "However, since Chronoa has brought back _Saiyan_ life essence, it only makes sense we find a suitable match. Seeing as the Saiyans from Universe Seven and Six have a human appearance, it only makes sense to find a planet whose inhabitants are best compatible with this energy. It's also convenient the moon is incapable of producing Blutz-waves, seeing as it has been mostly destroyed. Their natural Saiyan transformations would be nullified. They would pass as regular faunus," the Angel finished. The small Kai gasped in realization.

"So that's what Goku meant by transforming! I never got the chance to ask him with Vegeta making so many demands…" she finished. Solaris merely groaned, ignoring Chronoa's comment.

"And that means?" Solaris drawled. Luna merely chuckled.

"It would be best if we picked Remnant. Especially if we don't want them accidentally destroying the planet with their… rather _animalistic_ metamorphosis."

"Fine," Solaris retorted, understandably annoyed by the final decision. "I suppose Remnant will have to do. I do have to admit, on my last visit, I did sense that the humans and faunus did have a lot of inner potential. I guess that's a bonus."

"Yes, it is," Luna stated with a smile. "A mixture between Saiyan and human genes, along with Saiyan and faunus might prove to be surprisingly strong. Not to mention the energy we have acquired has elements of Godly ki inside of it. The results will be undoubtedly interesting. I can only imagine the kind of power they'll possess! Who knows, maybe they might even end up surpassing you!" she chuckled in amusement. Solaris pretended to ignore that remark. Chronoa laughed nervously opting to stand closer to Luna, in the rare case that Solaris lost his temper.

Pushing the aggravating comments out of his head, the God gazed at the hologram with sparks of intrigue in his eyes. He had only bothered to watch this planet a handful of times. It wasn't a particularly important planet, and its inhabitants were laughably weak. He still couldn't believe that the races entertained the idea of two gods that created life and darkness. The hubris of mortals, though, their stories were rather entertaining. Remnant seemed to have an abundance of strange myths and legends. They used them to explain concepts they couldn't understand.

He had to admire their creativity.

"Are we sure this is the right decision? I have a feeling we will have to intervene multiple times down the track as these warriors grow stronger. These creatures, the 'Grimm' are pathetically weak. Their bodies are made from smoke and shadow, not flesh and bone. If these half-Saiyan warriors are going to grow up on this mudball, they are going to need more competition to push their development," Solaris commented, turning to Luna with a bored expression. "Do you have anything in mind?"

"I have a few ideas… but we'll cross those bridges when we come to them. Let's get past the first few steps of this plan before we try to involve ourselves too much. They will need time to grow before we throw them into the fire," Luna replied with a sweet tone to her voice. Chronoa cleared her throat as she returned the two godly energies to her body. She would need to find suitable candidates to bear these children. Hopefully this idea would work.

"Alright, let's not waste anymore time! I'll go down and find the correct people to give this energy to. Hopefully this works, or we'll _really_ be in hot water!" Chronoa closed her eyes and transported herself to the planet Remnant, leaving Solaris and Luna to once again, mull over their thoughts. After a few moments, the God of Destruction chuckled lightly to himself. The thought had just occurred to him that their Supreme Kai hadn't realized in her current state of mind…

"We didn't tell her she was gone for almost a year, did we?"

"It's not our problem is she doesn't realize that time is not relative between universes. Perhaps in her fear of being erased, that thought escaped her."

* * *

"This place is a mess!"

When Chronoa landed on Remnant, the first thing she noticed was a large amount of negative energy that circled the planet. It had never stood out before, but now that she was actually here, the planet seemed to be suffocated by it. How a world had _this_ much negative energy flowing around it, she would never know. More importantly, how had this gone on for so long without them noticing?! How was she supposed to fix this now?! It would take decades to remove all this foul energy!

She would have to talk to Solaris and Luna about this later.

The last time she had come here, it had been one or two thousand years ago. She had to deal with a mess caused by some of the lesser Kai's. They had been messing around with the natural balance on the planet, and she had to come down and fix it. She had made sure that Solaris had reprimanded them, but it seemed that the effects of what those Kai's had done left a lasting impact that could be seen to this day.

She still had no idea how to fix the moon. Broken and shattered beyond all recognition. It was a shame that the celestial body wasn't capable of producing Blutz-waves or any other natural energy, but it was also a blessing. All it was capable of doing was reflecting the light of the sun. At least she wouldn't have to worry about these half-Saiyans going through their metamorphosis.

It was cold, extremely so. It was the northern continent of Solitas, a name Solaris had given to it as a joke. Luna had said it was in poor taste, but at the time, the God couldn't help but disagree. Chronoa couldn't understand his humor sometimes, so she ignored the rare moments he tried to make jokes. He wasn't a natural comedian anyway, and Luna constantly reminded him that most people took what he said at face value, considering he was a God.

Which is why the name of Solitas stuck.

Chronoa wasn't exactly sure where to start looking, and after flying around for a good two hours in the middle of the night, she had opted to let the energy guide her to the best source. She just hoped that it would lead her to someone she found suitable. She carefully summoned Vegeta's energy, and using her magic, she delicately split it in two and prepared it for use. That made her shudder. As a Supreme Kai, intervening like this felt wrong on multiple levels.

However, this was only done to increase the odds of _everyone's_ survival. If this didn't work, they would all be erased anyway. They _needed_ strong warriors.

It took her another few hours to find the right candidate, and Chronoa wasn't quite sure what to think of who she was led to. She found herself standing in a dimly lit room early in the morning. There was a nice rug on the carpet, and the woman was lying in her chair with a blanket strewn across the top of her. The fire crackled next to her in what seemed to be a small private library. Chronoa looked at the sleeping woman, knowing that what she was about to do went against many laws that _she_ had put in place. Swallowing her self-deprecation, she hovered forward, careful not to wake the woman.

Chronoa brought up the energy in her hand, before slowly pushing her hand towards the female. The energy flowed out of her hand and into the woman. The pale, silver haired lady started to glow, her face settling on a content smile. When the Kai was done, she channeled some of her own energy into the woman to ensure the child would be born with it's godly ki sealed, that kind of power unleashed without control would be disastrous.

With the deed done, Chronoa stepped back to admire her work, but found she could only frown at the sleeping woman. A sense of self-loathing and disgust crawled all over the Kai's consciousness, the reality of what she had truly done only striking her just now.

" _If this doesn't work… then we'll all die. I'm sorry for forcing this responsibility on you, but this needs to be done. For the sake of our universe._ "

The Supreme Kai vanished into thin air, reappearing above the Kingdom of Atlas. She sighed deeply before turning and heading off to a new location. It would be best to keep these warriors separated at birth. If they were born in different locations, these children would meet new people, hopefully inspiring them to grow stronger.

It didn't take her long to reach a new Kingdom on the continent of Anima. Just like last time, she spent a couple of hours scouting the streets from the sky, searching for a strong power to draw in the energy. It found multiple candidates, but none of them were what Chronoa was looking for. Drunks, troublemakers and scoundrels, not to mention the criminals she had managed to see. It was appalling how many individuals she had come across that were so… _repulsive_. She couldn't bear to risk the fate of their Universe with any of these people!

She noted that the sun was starting to peek up above the mountains in the distance, when she finally found a suitable candidate. The energy seemed especially drawn to her. This particular woman was alone in a hotel. She had black cat ears, and wore traditional, stylized robes that no doubt represented her unique culture. She looked to be in her early twenties and had a motherly aura about her, Chronoa had no doubt that she would make a fantastic parent.

Just like the previous one, she seemed to be fast asleep in bed. Chronoa brought out the other half of Vegeta's energy and placed it within the woman. The process didn't take long, and once the Kai had used her own magic to seal the godly power, she was on her way.

Unfortunately for Chronoa, this process was not as quick as the other two.

Finding the right candidates took weeks of searching.

Chronoa found the two candidates, sleeping right _next_ to each other, after a long night of intoxicated partying. This struck the Kai as rather odd, seeing as neither of them looked like the party type. One had medium length black hair with red tips and a white cloak, while the other wore a black singlet, and had an absurd amount of black messy hair. This woman also appeared to be a bit more physically adept than the smaller framed girl with the white cloak.

Having clearly grown tired of this venture, she decided to use Goku's energy on these two women. Vacuo was the last place she wanted to go.

She deposited the energy within the two sleeping girls and before they even had a chance to wake up, she had vanished from the face of Remnant, returning to Solaris and Luna's sacred domain of the Gods. It was at the very center of Universe Thirteen, so it was rather hard for her to miss when it was so close to the sacred planet of the Kai's, the same planet she ruled over. That planet was the home for many lesser Kai's and their apprentices. It was too bad she was never really around, and opted to spend more time with Solaris and Luna than her other Kai associates.

"It's done…" Chronoa moaned as she appeared next to Solaris and Luna. The Destruction God merely raised his eye in amusement.

"I'm sure those women will be thrilled with the idea of a spontaneous child they had no knowledge of conceiving," he remarked in a mocking tone. He absently tilted his head to the side as a block of katchin sailed past him. Chronoa was fuming, She had just spent several weeks committing acts that are considered abhorrent amongst the Gods. The fact that she had done it for the sake of their universe's survival was the only plausible justification she could possibly give to alleviate the guilt upon her shoulders.

"You shut your mouth! Do you have any idea how they are going to feel? I've condemned all four of those women to a life of being a parent, when none of them might have even wanted it in the first place! I feel awful!" Chronoa moaned, her head dropping into her hands. Solaris merely rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"They are mortals, and we are Gods, _Chronoa_. If we need them to fulfill a task for the sake of our universe, and they refuse to do it, then what are they good for? They should be honored they are raising the children that are going to save all of our lives in the end," Solaris muttered bitterly. Luna merely sighed as she tapped her staff, revealing holographic images of all four women that Chronoa had chosen. The three deities managed to get a good look at them, seeing the four wracked the small Kai with guilt

"I would say excellent choices Chronoa," Luna reassured, prompting the Kai to look up. A few more taps of her staff revealed the background of each woman. They didn't seem to be in bad positions in their lives. "From a logical deduction, I can make the assumption that a child entering into the lives of these four women may have a positive effect on them. They all have stable careers and can provide the resources to care for a child without much difficulty. Two are trained huntresses, one is inherently wealthy, and the other is a renowned member of a revolutionary group."

"Let's just hope that when they find out, they won't hold it against us. This is for the good of Universe Thirteen right?" Chronoa questioned, hoping to find a little more reassurance in her actions. Solaris merely snorted.

"Well, I don't really care. As long as I live, I don't exactly see a problem. We increase our mortal level high enough so that Zeno will leave us alone. Case closed and problem solved. Let's move on to other things shall we? We have preparations to make for the future."

"You're not exactly the most considerate of the Gods are you?" Chronoa pouted childishly. The Destruction God turned to her, an uncaring smirk plastered all over his face. She just returned his smirk with a glare. "You are absolutely unbelievable. I can't believe I have to be the one to help you for the rest of eternity! Maybe we deserve to be erased!" she cried childishly.

"You have been complaining about this for the past ten thousand years Chronoa. When will you understand that I really don't care?"

"When you stop being so mean!"

"I wasn't the one who forced four women to have miracle children."

"Y-YOU TAKE THAT BACK! THIS WAS A GROUP DECISION!"

Luna sighed as she watched the two bicker for what could have been the millionth time in the last decade alone.

"Children…" she murmured with a light hearted smile.

* * *

A month and a half had passed since the Kai's intervention on the world of Remnant, and in the same amount of time, the legendary team STRQ had successfully graduated from Beacon Academy as fully fledged huntsmen and huntresses.

With Summer Rose leading the group, they had nothing to fear, the woman having a good head on her shoulders. Her partner, Raven Branwen no longer had any qualms with her leadership, and had learned many things from her time with Summer Rose. Qrow Branwen and Taiyang Xiao Long were also satisfied with their group's direction, and had no problems following Summer's commands out in the battlefield. Despite each member having their own problems -the most notable relating to both Qrow's and Raven's heritage- they had managed to sort it out and grow closer. It was as if they were truly the best team to graduate from Beacon, ready and willing to overcome anything thrown at them.

There was one thing however, that they were certainly not prepared for.

"Congratulations! You're both pregnant."

Silence reigned over the Doctor's office. The two huntresses Raven Branwen and Summer Rose sat in complete and utter shock. They knew they had both been displaying symptoms associated with pregnancy, but they _just_ couldn't believe it. Neither of them could recall any sexual encounter with anyone! At first they had brushed it off as the flu or maybe the common cold, but as the symptoms got worse and more frequent, Qrow and Taiyang suggested they go to a hospital and get themselves checked out, much to Raven's ire.

"What…?" Summer's eyes widened. Sure, she was attracted to both her male teammates, but she would never let her desires overwhelm her dedication to keep her team together. Summer was determined to keep them together as a team, despite how Raven tended to go solo and take missions by herself. The female Branwen had been attempting to distance herself from everyone since graduation, but Summer thought the woman just needed time away from them. They had been bunking together for the last four and a half years after all.

"Pregnant?" Raven's expression twisted into something of disapproval. "You cannot be serious."

"I'm afraid the tests don't lie, Ms. Branwen. You both tested positive on the analyses we ran. You wouldn't happen to recall a night where _maybe_ you two did something… risky?" the doctor questioned as he flipped through the paperwork. Raven's scowl turned into something much darker, unbridled rage roaring in her eyes. Summer merely sighed, running a hand through her hair as she tired to think of when this could have happened.

"Are you implying we're-"

"Raven, shut up," Summer groaned. "Stop jumping to conclusions and think. Let's at least try and figure out how this happened before we start throwing accusations around," she finished. Raven reigned in her anger and slouched back in her seat. The charcoal haired woman couldn't believe that this was happening to her! She valued strength above all else, and now here she was, sitting in a doctor's office because some guy got lucky with her when she let her guard down!

Seriously! Raven Branwen, knocked up because some guy managed to sweet talk her! She was probably wasted out of her mind-

"Oh… _you're kidding me_ ," the female Branwen groaned, her head dropping into her hands. She was going to be the laughing stock of her tribe if she ever returned. How could she possibly return to them, and take the position of leader when she had so easily let her guard down after a _couple_ of celebratory drinks!?

"Do you remember?" Summer questioned her. Raven nodded glumly.

"Probably. You remember that night last month when we finally got round to celebrating our graduation from Beacon? Qrow and Taiyang had gone off with their friends from the other teams, while we had a girls night out with some of our friends. That is the only night I can think of where _this_ ," Raven gestured to the room they currently resided in. "Would have happened."

The look on Summer's face dropped when she recalled the events that night. It had been a wild one, something they had been planning since they had graduated. Team STRQ and a couple of the other teams hadn't managed to properly celebrate since they decided to take some of the more dangerous assignments that needed to be completed. It had been the only opportunity where all their friends had been back in Vale to celebrate the occasion. Summer and Raven had dropped all restraints and decided to go with wherever the night took them. Now it seemed that had been a poor decision.

"But when we woke up there was no one there! It was just us in a hotel room… I don't recall seeing any evidence of any, _sexual_ activities. Do you think we were…" Summer trailed off while Raven's fingers curled, her nails digging into her palms. The mere thought that they had been _used_ and tossed aside like garbage made her sick to her stomach. However, she knew it was equally their fault for being so careless while drinking.

" _This is just great. I'm going to be the laughing stock of my tribe. I'm an embarrassment!_ " Raven fumed silently. Summer was still dumbstruck at their carelessness that night. Before the doctor could say anything else, the armored huntress got up and left the room angrily. Slamming the door on the way out, she stomped down the hallway, pushing aside any staff as she made her way out of the building. Summer sighed, opting to get up and thank the doctor for his work. It seemed she would be paying for both her and Raven's visit.

As Summer made her way out of the building, she found both a stunned looking Taiyang and Qrow waiting by the entrance. They seemed to have been waiting for the two women, but Raven's sudden angry exit had left them both momentarily speechless. Summer could tell by the looks on their faces that they were wanting answers as much as she did.

"Geez, what's got Raven so worked up? Was she angered by a _prick_ or something?" Taiyang joked while Qrow and Summer just sighed.

"No…" Summer groaned, trailing off. She had no idea how her two male teammates where going to take this news. "Apparently, we are now pregnant, as of a month ago," she continued. The looks on the two male members of team STRQ were priceless. Summer couldn't help but chuckle in amusement as Taiyang's mouth seemingly unhinged and practically hit the pavement. Qrow had a similar reaction. It took Summer a few moments to quell her giggles and give them a proper explanation, one she was hoping they would be supportive of.

"Niether Raven, or myself remember or can recall ever spending the night with another man, but we can only conclude that it happened during the night after our Graduation party. We barely remember anything from that night, so it's possible we had done some… less than favourable activities with some guy. Either that… or, well. The _alternative_ is what Raven seems to believe."

"What? That you two were…" Taiyang trailed off as Summer nodded her head somberly. "Jeez, that's tough. What are you guys going to do?" he questioned. Summer sighed, it wasn't like she had much choice in the matter, she was going to have to take care of her child! What kind of mother would she be if she didn't do that? If she ever found the father, she would be having strong words with him, but as of right now, she was on her own. Not that it was a problem for her, she was well off with her earnings as a Huntress anyway. For Raven, it was more an issue of pride than anything else.

"I'm going to raise this child. What did you think I was going to do?" she scowled, glaring at Taiyang. The tanned blonde just chuckled nervously before raising his hands in mock surrender. Summer huffed, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Not like I have much of a choice anyway and I'm sure Raven will get over it soon. We screwed up by drinking too much and now we reap the consequences. Our children shouldn't suffer for our mistakes. I'll make sure I'm going to be the best mom ever!"

"Sometimes I think you're insane," Qrow commented blandly. "You are far too happy for someone who just found out they got knocked up without them even knowing who the father is."

"Psh," Summer waved him off. "Like it even matters. I have you two. You are going to be the best uncles ever! Wouldn't you agree?" she chuckled. Qrow and Taiyang looked at each other, a bead of sweat rolled down their foreheads. The sweetness of Summer's smile increased tenfold as she suddenly pulled the two closer to her. When they didn't say anything, she increased her grip on the two, which was now surprisingly powerful.

They both cried out in pain.

"Right… **boys**?"

Hell hath no fury like Summer Rose when her teammates don't respond.

* * *

The news of a new child on the way for the Schnee family came as no surprise to the members of said family, and the idea of a new sibling was welcomed with open arms by the seven year old Winter Schnee. The prospect of a new sibling in her monotonously boring life gave her hope. Whitley never seemed to want to play, and was too self-centred, but she only chalked that down to him being a year old. He was still a toddler, so it made sense.

However, an entire continent away, Kali Belladonna had absolutely no idea how she was pregnant.

She had no current romantic relationship going for her, -despite being absolutely smitten for her best friend Ghira. She wasn't a drinker as she had to be healthy to organise White Fang rallies. How she could possibly be pregnant when she wasn't even sexually active was beyond her. She was so dumbfounded, she was actually considering the possibility of immaculate conception. The idea was ludicrous, but she couldn't think of any other explanation.

She had been feeling so helpless, she actually forced herself to call her best friend, to ask for his help. Which led her to her current predicament.

"Kali… calm down. Panicking can't be healthy for the baby," his words however, fell on deaf ears as the female cat faunus paced around the room obsessively. She had bags under her eyes and her hair was a mess. Ghira had never seen her in such a state before, and it quite honestly distressed him, seeing as she was the one person he trusted out of his entire council in the White Fang. Both of them held seats, with him being the most prominent, while Kali held a smaller seat.

"That's just the problem! How did this even happen!? Unless I was drugged or-or something!? No! That doesn't make any sense either! I would remember something like that!. Even if there was some kind of memory loss involved, I would have at least noticed the gap in my memories or waking up after being drugged. Ghira don't you understand? This is _**impossible**_! I can't be pregnant!" Kali ranted. Eventually she noticed her legs were starting to get sore and collapsed on the bed behind her.

The two were in a house she had rented in the middle-class Mistral district. Ghira was sitting on the opposite bed to hers while she flailed her arms around wildly on her bed like a child having a tantrum. Anyone could tell the woman was distraught, and he couldn't blame her. She was having a child to a man she couldn't even remember sleeping with! While it pained Ghira to know that his unconfessed love of his life had been with another man, he knew he had to do something about this. He couldn't let her drift aimlessly into the wind like she had been doing for the past couple of weeks.

"Now, now… I'm sure there is a perfectly logical explanation for this, but we can figure that out later. Right now you need to refocus your priorities. You have a child on the way that you need to take care of," Ghira commented sagely. While Kali wasn't the type to shed tears over such a matter, she was still worried about how she was going to cope with a child on top of her White Fang responsibilities. She knew there were medical practices to _help_ with these kinds of problems, but she didn't believe that was a proper option. Removing a life before it had a chance to _live_ seemed absolutely horrific in her mind.

"I don't want my child to grow up without a _father_ , Ghira. It was hard enough for me. I don't want my child to experience the same," Kali groaned. She took a moment to pause, pushing herself up off the bed and into a sitting position. She exhaled deeply, running her hands through her hair. She was exhausted, weeks of morning sickness and emotional outbursts had brought her to the breaking point. She had pushed it aside at first, but it only got worse, and upon her discovery, she couldn't believe what it was implying. She even took a pregnancy test to make sure she wasn't going crazy.

Lo and behold, she got a positive result.

"If you desire that for your child, I would be more than willing to fulfil a fatherly role," Ghira stated softly after a few moments of silence. Kali looked up, her eyes practically sparkling. She couldn't believe what she had just heard.

"Y-You would do that? But the child's not even yours!"

"It does not matter. If the real father doesn't have the courage to come forward and help you, then someone else has to fill that position. I would be more than willing. I do not need a reason to help you Kali, I will always be here for you," Ghira replied calmly, hoping she would pick up on the subtle confession. He had been waiting a long time, and he chastised himself for not doing it sooner. If he had, maybe she wouldn't be in this situation in the first place. He'd be damned if she was going to go through this by herself!

"G-Ghira… do you truly mean it?" she questioned softly. He nodded.

Tears started to stream from her eyes.

"Thank you… thank you," Kali had gotten up and practically fell into his embrace. He pulled her closer, as if to make sure that nothing would ever hurt her again.

These next few years would undoubtedly be tough for the both of them, but at least they had each other.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Okay, if you guys are still with, that's fantastic! I would like to hear how I did with the two OCs and Chronoa. Please let me know if there's anything out of place or something that doesn't make sense. This chapter was extremely difficult to write with all the creep factor there. My editors did a fantastic job toning it down so it was less in your face.**

 **Allow me to clear up something here. Some of you might be a little confused as to why the Schnee family didn't really get a scene, as opposed to Raven, Summer and Kali. This is because I didn't see the impact of another pregnancy in the Schnee family to be that big. Also, YES I KNOW. Whitley is actually the younger brother of Weiss. I absolutely know that, but for the sake of this story, he's born first. There are reasons behind this. Trust me.**

 **This story will follow a canon-ish approach to the first arc, being RWBY Volumes one through three in terms of structure. However, this doesn't mean that I won't be changing the events in which things happen. I'm not a fan of reading a rehash of canon in other fanfics, so don't expect that here. This, and I will be attempting to clear up a lot of the inconsistencies we see through those first three volumes in canon.**

 **On a side note, don't freak out! For those of you who follow me because of This War of Mine, it still remains my top priority. No need to fear, I will be updating that before this one. In fact, the updates will alternate whenever I have the time. This still will NOT affect the time it takes to update TWOM.**

 **Lastly, if you have discord and have any questions, please join this discord link:** **discord. gg/JrnKzyx**

 **Okay, I think that does it. Until the next update then.**


	2. White

**A/N:**

 **Hey guys, welcome to the second installment of my little passion project. I am overwhelmed by the positive responses that you guys gave for the first chapter! You have no idea just how terrified I was when it came to writing acceptable OC's and giving them a proper, likable personality.  
**

 **The way the next few chapters will go is essentially introducing the main characters, that being team RWBY. First, we have Weiss and this is only because her backstory is the one that changes the most. Then we will have Blake next and then finish with Ruby and Yang in one chapter. I kind of structure it in order of those who have changed the most, to those who have changed the least. Besides, Ruby and Yang still grow up together in this story, and it didn't really make any sense for me to split it into two chapters when the two have very similar experiences.  
**

 **On another note, I would like to say I had no intention of making Weiss's backstory/trailer this long. It really has no business being more than 10k words but it just kind of came out that way. She was the one who has changed the** **most** **from this, so it felt right to write her first. There was a lot to get through. Also, once again, please bear with me here, these introductory/trailer chapters are quite exposition heavy.**

 **That's enough of my rambling. On with the story!**

* * *

 _Chapter Two: White_

"Winter?"

The teen in question slowed her movements, the hairbrush in her hand coming to a temporary halt at the strange, downtrodden tone. A frown crossed her face as she leaned to the side to peer at her younger sister's features. The child had her knees tucked close to her chest as she sat on a chair facing a mirror. Winter couldn't help but notice the despair in her eyes. No normal four year old should be displaying such serious emotions, yet her sister was far from normal.

"Yes, Weiss?" Winter replied, returning to brushing her sister's silver hair. She often took great pleasure in spending such quality time with her sister. She was unable to do such things with Whitley, seeing as he was a boy. Brushing Weiss's hair was a treat in normality, a break from her stressful teenage years. Winter cherished every moment she got to spend with her sister. Weiss loved her to bits, and the two practically did everything together. Winter made sure that whatever she was doing, Weiss would be able to join in as well. It was her duty as an older sister to ensure so.

"Why does everyone hate me?"

The question took Winter by surprise, so much so that her breath hitched in her throat and forced her actions to stop immediately. A sense of dread bubbled inside of her as her arms fell out of Weiss's hair and down to her sides. The small girl sat absolutely still, refusing to even move. Winter quickly moved around to the front of her, to see trails of tears starting to stream down her face. The look practically melted Winter's heart as she leaned in and embraced her younger sister.

"Oh, Weiss…" Winter whispered calmly. "What happened?"

The four-year-old unfolded her knees and let them dangle over the edge of the seat, leaning forward and sinking into Winter's embrace. She sobbed into her older sister's shoulder and tried her best not to cry, but unfortunately, she was unable to control her emotions properly. The waterworks began, and once again, Winter found herself being the only available crutch for the girl. If only their mother had done her job properly. Winter would have bet her family's fortune to guess that Willow Schnee was out in the garden drowning herself in exquisite wines and other toxic beverages.

"Father yelled at me again," Weiss mumbled into Winter's shoulder. "He called me a filthy animal… I just wanted a new toy."

The teenage Schnee pulled her younger sister closer to her chest, in a desperate attempt to convey her feelings of love. However, despite her attempts, it seemed like she was unable to shield Weiss from all the hatred this world was capable of producing. Winter couldn't help but allow her disgust and loathing for Jacques to grow the more he mistreated Weiss and ignored her. She had seen it multiple times, and it was only getting worse. Weiss wasn't even allowed outside and was confined to the walls of the Mansion. This place was a prison, and Winter couldn't do anything but try to make it seem like everything was okay.

"He's wrong, Weiss. You are nothing like what he described you as. You are my sister and a member of the Schnee family. Father can be… a bit _forward_ with his words, but he is our father. You probably just caught him at a bad time," Winter smiled, a pang of guilt raging through her as she lied through her teeth. Weiss couldn't know. It would destroy her. It was no secret that Jacques despised her very existence, and Winter couldn't help but hate him for his reasons.

On the fateful day of her birth, Weiss Schnee had swiftly split her family apart.

No one had realized the implications this birth would have on the family, and no one suspected what disastrous effects this could have had on the Schnee lineage. Jacques wasn't willing to risk the prestigious title of the Schnee name with this event, so he swept it under the rug, and paid off everyone involved with the birth to keep silent about it. Willow Schnee couldn't have been more distressed. The birth of Weiss was akin to burning a bridge between herself and her husband. Accused of having an affair outside of their marriage, Jacques was beginning to make arrangements to have them unofficially divorced.

For Weiss Schnee, was born with a tail. A long brown appendage, protruding from the small baby girl's backside.

A faunus in the Schnee family.

Jacques couldn't think of anything more horrifying.

Winter had eventually learned from eavesdropping, that Jacques had planned on having the tail surgically removed, but any medical professional he queried about it, either flat-out refused or cursed the man for his disgusting outlook on faunus. There was a moral line most doctors and surgeons were not willing to cross when it came to operations on faunus. Removing what essentially made them a faunus had been made illegal after riots and protests from the White Fang and other equal rights rallies. Needless to say, Jacques was unable to bribe or blackmail anyone into proceeding with his demands.

The man was smart, and never actually mentioned that it was Weiss that he wanted to be operated on. Knowing that he was playing a risky game with the laws and ethics of the matter, he dropped it entirely and allowed Weiss to keep her tail. However, this lead to her life being comparable to some kind of prison inmate. She had no freedom, and there were strict rules she was forced to follow that Winter or Whitley never had to deal with.

"I don't like him," Weiss retorted sourly, wiping her tears away. "He's mean."

Winter couldn't help but agree. There was nothing that redeemed Jacques in her eyes. He was a businessman before a father, and Winter wasn't able to think of anything worse than a father that placed his power and money before his family.

"I know, Weiss. He is still our father, and we must treat him with respect. If you do not, he will only make things more difficult for the both of us," Winter retorted with a small smile. Weiss pouted childishly as she and Winter separated from the hug. The younger Schnee crossed her arms, frowning as she did so. Winter caressed the girl's cheek, brushing a few strands of silver hair out of her eyes. "After dinner, come to my room and maybe we can play some games. I promise, you can pick out your favorites."

Weiss's eyes lit up as she nodded vigorously.

"You really mean it!?"

"Absolutely," Winter retorted, relieved that Weiss had lightened up a bit. "Now, I must be off. Behave yourself while I'm gone. I must go meet with father. He is expecting me very soon. I will see you after dinner Weiss," the older Schnee finished as she made her way to the door. Weiss merely tackled her, giving her one final hug as Winter returned it lovingly. Parting once more, Winter opened the door and walked out, closing it behind her. No doubt Weiss would be playing with her toys for a while, so that gave her time to rest.

An exhausted look overcame her features as she dropped her head and strolled towards her father's office for another few private lessons in politics. On her way there, she couldn't help but recall the earlier days of Weiss's toddler years. Those had been much more difficult for her. Winter had practically given up her childhood to ensure that Weiss _survived_ hers.

During those first few years after Weiss's birth, Winter was forced to watch from the sidelines while all of this played out. Not being nearly old enough to be considered an adult, the most she could do was ensure that her sister was happy. Even at the expense of her own childhood and happiness, Winter was not willing to let Weiss's identity as a faunus be a factor for neglect and abuse.

Winter had often looked to her mother, confused as to why she would have the drive to cheat on her father like that. Despite her young age, Winter had made sure she was well acquainted with the way the world works. If she was to inherit the Schnee name, and its business, she would need to know all the ins and outs of politics, and have a vast intellect in the nature of life on Remnant. However, this was something she just could not understand. She was aware Willow and Jacques used to fight quite often, but not as much as they had been doing so since Weiss was born. However, there always seemed to be a bond between the two.

Now it was gone.

The two could hardly stand being in the same room as each other. Winter absolutely hated it. The fact that this had been caused because her youngest sister had a _tail_ of all things. Why did it matter? To her, Jacques seemed more angry about the fact that Weiss had a tail than the fact that Willow had gone behind his back and had an affair. While it disgusted Winter to talk to either of her parents, based on how they were acting, she knew it was her job to ensure that her lovely brother and sister grew up with a happy life. She would _gladly_ sacrifice her childhood to make sure those two had one.

However, as the months went on, Winter found it increasingly more difficult to follow her destined path as the Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, and give her younger brother and sister the time of day. Often, she found herself having to give up time on the former, for the latter, and that was something she was constantly reprimanded for by Jacques. Willow had grown quiet and often kept to her quarters in her own personal study after the unofficial divorce. Winter would often find countless bottles of wine strewn across the room when she wanted to check in on how she was doing.

Because of this, Willow was unable to feed Weiss properly, so she was put on formula, something which Weiss completely detested. The toddler would throw the bottles across the room with surprising amounts of strength, but eventually, when she learned she wasn't getting anything else, the baby clearly resigned to drinking the horrid stuff. Winter couldn't blame her, it smelled awful and processed. Jacques hadn't even taken the time to find a good brand for her to drink, and as Winter got older, her hatred for her parents grew. Both of them tried their best to ignore Weiss, Jacques especially. Whitley got all the praise, and Winter was left to protect Weiss herself.

It was then when she made up her mind.

The Heiress title could burn for all she cared.

Jacques was a selfish, inconsiderate man, and Willow was too caught up in her own depression to notice how badly Weiss was suffering. She would grow strong enough to care for her younger sister, seeing as Jacques had put all his attention into Whitley. He had seemingly taken the hint that Winter was no longer interested in assuming the role he was building for her. The only path forward for her now was to take advantage of her own intellect and find uses elsewhere for it. Thankfully, the Atlas Military sounded like a good option for her, but that meant leaving Weiss behind.

But there was nothing else for her, and she needed to build her own life. Before she could truly help Weiss, she needed to help _herself_.

She tried her hardest to bond with Weiss, essentially becoming her emotional rock for the younger Schnee. The little girl practically stuck to Winter like glue. She followed her everywhere and constantly needed her around. It was a surprise to Winter as Weiss started getting older that the girl started taking an interest in combat. After seeing the Vytal Festival on the television, she had become almost obsessed with the idea of training and practicing. The dream and desire to become a huntress had bloomed within her.

With Weiss's attention not solely on Winter anymore, the older Schnee took this opportunity to pursue her own desires.

Announcing her departure to the Atlas Military -something she had discussed with General Ironwood- she informed her family she would be absent for just about four years, with little opportunity to return home due to the rigorous training regime she had been given. Jacques was livid with her decision, while Willow completely understood where she was coming from, and decided to support her venture. Whitley didn't care as much as she thought he would, but Weiss…

The look on the youngest Schnee's face almost brought Winter to tears.

After the news, Weiss left and returned to her room. She even refused to say goodbye as Winter packed up and left. Knowing that Weiss was hurt, Winter decided to leave behind a note, promising Weiss that she would return the moment she was allowed, and for her to stay strong and keep training. Training and practicing combat techniques seemed to be almost second nature to Weiss from what Winter observed of her. The girl would practice in her room when she wasn't allowed out. Despite being so young, Winter had seen monumental talent inside of her, just waiting to be given the proper direction.

Unfortunately, that direction was something she couldn't provide, and when she said her goodbyes to the family, Weiss hadn't even bothered to see her off, something which hurt her deeply, but she understood why. Maybe it was selfish of her to pursue something _she_ desired, but Winter knew she couldn't spend her entire life catering to Weiss, otherwise, her future would be bleak and pointless. She _had_ to do this, even if Weiss hated her for it. She couldn't imagine what it was going to be like for Weiss to cope on her own with a family that didn't want her. She hoped at least Willow would gather the courage to defend her when needed.

Five years passed swimmingly, and upon her twenty-first birthday, she had officially graduated as one of the top-ranked Atlas specialists.

She was also one of the most dangerous huntresses in Atlas, and her prowess in battle was second to none. She was Winter Schnee, serving under General Ironwood himself for the Atlas Military. Not once had she stopped thinking about Weiss or the situation back home. Instead, she used her grief over the situation to fuel the flames of her determination to return home and set things right. She would even take Weiss away from there if the situation called for it. She would not leave the one piece of that family she loved so dearly to endure any more emotional pain.

She just hoped that Weiss was strong enough to withstand what Jacques threw her way.

=/=

* * *

=/=

Winter had walked out this door when she was sixteen, and now here she was, twenty-one years old. Standing at the front door, hesitant to even raise her hand to open it. The Schnee mansion.

It hadn't changed one bit.

Jacques was not the only person in the family that now held significant power. Winter had carved out a name for herself, along with a decent amount of support for the Atlas Military. While her father currently ran the Dust Company that held a large monopoly of the market, she also held a large influence over the Military that practically ran the Kingdom. Her father wouldn't dare raise a hand against her like he had done in the past. It was no secret that the Schnee family was rather dysfunctional, but it still held a power that people couldn't challenge.

While she was dismissed as the Heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, she still held the name of Schnee. That in itself held power, which now had a grip over the military, thanks to her. They were loyal to her, not Jacques. He was a politician, and she made sure there were no politics when she was in charge. No longer would she live a life under his rule. She was the master of her own fate now, and she welcomed Jacques to try and take that privilege away from her.

She walked with grace, swiftly down the corridors of the Schnee mansion, holding a long metal specialist briefcase in her right hand. She passed by Weiss's room and quickly took a peek inside after hearing silence from the outside. The bedroom was still filled with old toys, a queen sized bed that Winter had fought tooth and nail to get Jacques to buy for her. However, from memory, most of it looked the same, there wasn't anything new that the older Schnee could point out. She wasn't sure what to think of this. Winter closed the door and set off towards her father's office.

Arriving at the door, she didn't bother knocking as she opened it. Her father glanced up from his desk, which was littered with paperwork and other documents. He looked just as busy as he normally did. Nothing much had changed about him except some of the gray sprouts that were starting to show in his hair. Other than that, he looked exactly the same as the day she had left. Over the last five years, the two had shared enough phone calls that Winter could count them on both hands, and when they did, it was always something to do with business. Winter sat the briefcase at the door, strolling towards her father with her hands at her side, and a stern frown on her face.

"Ah… Winter. You have definitely grown," Jacques stated with a proud smile. Winter merely continued to stare at him, her facial features unchanging. While he had been extremely angry at her for giving up her position as a Heiress to pursue her own desires, her actions had brought more prestige to the Schnee name. It disgusted her that it seemed to be the only thing he cared about. "How goes your… _profession_? I hear you are highly ranked amongst your peers."

"I'm the _best_ amongst all my peers, _father_ ," Winter retorted calmly. "General Ironwood holds me in high regard, and I am officially second in command when he is incapable of fulfilling his duties. He appointed me himself," she continued. Winter noted her father's unchanging features.

"I would expect nothing less from you. You are a Schnee of course," Jacques replied quickly. There was a moment of silence between the two of them. The older meeting the younger's glare with equal fierceness.

"Where is Weiss?" Winter questioned. The moment the name left her mouth, she could see the man visibly frown. The proud look he wore on his face fading away at the mention of the youngest Schnee's name. Winter took no surprise to this, seeing as she saw little reason for his attitude to ever change. The man hated faunus, mainly for what the White Fang had done to his family. Slander and defamation was a popular choice for the White Fang to try and damage their prestigious name. Despite them claiming to be a peaceful organization, some of their actions as of the last couple of years had been incredibly violent.

"Where she always is. The gym. I suppose you want to see her?" Jacques questioned in an uncaring fashion.

"Of course I want to see her. She is my sister," Winter retorted sharply. Winter practically dared the man to say something she could catch him out with. She wanted nothing more than for Jacques to give her a reason for her to lash out at him, but that didn't seem to be the case considering he looked relatively calm about the situation. Normally when Weiss was brought up, he would turn angry and threaten to lash out at a moment's notice. For the first couple of years, it was almost impossible to have Weiss and Jacques at the same dinner table. Eventually, the younger Schnee opted to have her food in her room.

Winter ate with her as much as she possibly could, but some nights, Weiss preferred to eat alone.

"Then by all means," Jacques gestured to the door behind him. "I'm not stopping you. Do take a moment to say hello to Whitley when you get the chance. He is _family_ after all."

"Are you implying that Weiss isn't family, _Jacques_?" Winter practically hissed. The Schnee patriarch sat calmly in his chair, letting the accusation sink in. Winter chastised herself for letting that comment push her like that. She had taken the first step in the argument, automatically putting Jacques at an advantage.

Winter watched his lips curl, a disgusting feeling crawling up her spine as he did so. The man unfolded his arms and leaned back in his chair, placing his arms on the armrests of his expensive leather chair. A flash of arrogance and pride crossed his eyes as he looked at Winter, admiring her strict posture and regal attitude. If Winter had stayed, no doubt she would have become even better than he was at his current position.

"Look at you… walking in here like you _own_ the place," his face contorted into a sneer. "Just because you have _training_ and a respectable rank in the Atlesian Military, doesn't mean you get to talk to me on equal ground. You are still my _daughter_. _**Do not**_ forget where you came from, Winter," the man warned. Winter had to admit, that tone terrified her. She had heard it all her childhood, and she always associated that tone with her father's anger. He used it with his business associates when he was disappointed in them, and he used it with his family for equal reasons.

"Do not take me for a fool," Winter shot back. Jacques's eyes slightly widened at the disrespect she was displaying. "I will never forget where I came from, and what I had to _endure_ in this poor excuse of a family. The day Weiss was born, you refused to even look at her… all because she was born as a faunus. I accept that my mother was foolish for sleeping with another when she had made vows to only be with you, but that does not give you the right to treat Weiss so poorly for something out of her control," she growled, finally taking a stance on the matter. All those years she had been far too scared to confront her father about the matter. Now she was grown up, and a distinguished leader in the Atlesian Military.

She wasn't about to back down now and fall into old, submissive habits.

"I remember picking up _your_ slack," Winter continued angrily, Jacques's hands squeezing his armrests until his knuckles went white. "Where both you, and mother had _failed_. I tried to give Weiss a childhood that I _knew_ she was never going to receive from either of you. I sacrificed _my_ childhood so she could have one, but it seems that even then, I wasn't enough to shield her pain. I hoped you were a better man than that, but evidently, I was wrong." she sneered. She watched the rage induced expression cross Jacques's features, painting a satisfied smirk on her face. Before he could even open his mouth to respond, she decided to keep going.

"Don't you dare remind me where I _came_ from. I will never forget for as long as I live. I am glad that I broke free from the tormenting lifestyle you were trying to build for me. I have only returned to see how my sister is doing, and maybe give my younger brother some advice, so he isn't brainwashed by you. However, I know you like Whitley, so I'm not concerned with his safety. I'm more concerned with Weiss's. I will be offering her to join me when I leave tonight. Hopefully, then, she will be able to finally see the world for what it is, instead of being caged behind the bars of this mansion I have no doubt you've kept her in," Winter finished. Jacques slowly stood out of his seat, a furious look in his eyes.

"You will _**NOT**_ be taking that **animal** outside the walls of this household!" Jacques roared. "I will not have the name I've tried so hard to protect be smeared by some illegitimate child! She will stay here where she belongs!"

Winter smirked, knowing she had won this conversation now that he had lost his temper. She turned, and slowly strolled towards the door. She picked up the briefcase she had left to the side and reached for the door.

" **Do you hear me, Winter!? Answer me you insolent child!** "

Winter stopped, inches away from the door. After a few moments, she turned.

"Watch me."

Before Jacques could answer, she exited the room and used her semblance to deadlock the door behind her. Part of her hoped her father would rot inside that office forever, but she knew better. One of the more talented servants they had staffed around the building would come and unlock it for him. Winter had often deadlocked the door when she had tantrums and walked out on her father. She knew he would be in there for the rest of the day. Ignoring the echoes of her father's screams of anger, she made her way towards the stairwell to head for the basement, seeing as that's where the gym had been installed.

Something told her that Weiss wasn't going to be the same person she had left behind five years ago.

=/=

* * *

=/=

The longer she walked down these flights of stairs, the more anticipation she was starting to feel for reuniting with her sister.

She hadn't received any letters from her since she had left, but then again, Weiss wasn't the kind to write letters. She preferred the physical approach to things. She had been like that since she was just a baby. Winter had noted she was incredibly strong for a toddler, and that strength had only gotten more impressive as time went by. If Weiss had kept up her dedication with her training, Winter was eager to see how far along her younger sister had come. Weiss had often expressed her interest in becoming a huntress before Winter had left to join the Atlesian Military.

However, she could not help but entertain that foreboding feeling that perhaps Weiss was not too happy with her. Regardless, she was more than willing to take whatever her younger sister threw at her. Weiss was really the only family she cared about anyway. Whitley was too busy meeting his father's demands to care for anyone but himself, and her parents had already displayed their more selfish qualities to warrant Winter's disapproval.

Without hesitation, she pushed open the door to the gym and was greeted by an incredible sight.

Weiss Schnee was standing in the middle of a demolished, scarred and butchered training arena. There were various pieces of gym equipment lying about the place -some of it was broken- including the many machines they had. Upon further inspection, Winter could see that the signs of damage were probably caused by Weiss. It looked like someone had forcibly ripped apart some of the metal in fits of rage. Winter's eyes eventually drifted back to Weiss, who was standing incredibly still, in the center of the arena.

The girl had her silver hair tied up like Winter had originally taught her. She wore a white tank top, and black skin-tight shorts with an expertly cut hole in the back of them to let her tail through. Said brown appendage was waving about behind her in a relaxed manner. Winter had noted early on that her tail didn't exactly reflect any of her emotions, and Weiss even claimed sometimes that it had a mind of its own. However, shortly before Winter had left, Weiss had learned to control it.

She absently turned her head at the sound of a door opening.

"Oh, Winter," she didn't even sound remotely happy to see her. The older Schnee visibly winced, but quickly hid it. Slowly, Winter placed the case down on the floor and took a few steps towards Weiss before stopping. Weiss turned to face her directly, her features stuck in an almost permanent scowl. Somehow, she could have sworn that must have come from her biological father, because neither Jacques nor Willow could muster such a distasteful look. "I wasn't expecting you."

Winter idly wondered if Weiss had meant that she wasn't expecting her to come back.

"I did call ahead to let the family know I was returning for a night. It was the first opportunity that I've been given in years," Winter retorted calmly, letting the words sink in. A brief look flashed across Weiss's face, one of pain and misery. Winter knew immediately that Jacques had opted not to tell Weiss that she was returning, something that brought a hidden anger to the older sibling. Another reason to add to the list of why she hated Jacques. "You look healthy."

"Training six hours a day, six days a week does that to people. It's not like I have anything else better to do. I finished the basic education _Jacques_ was willing to provide me. When I asked for more complicated content, he simply brushed me off, citing that I wouldn't need it," Weiss practically spat, venom lacing her tone. "Doesn't take a genius to figure out that he sees no future for me."

"Weiss…"

"Don't pretend like you _care_!" Weiss snapped viciously, tears starting to break at the bottom of her eyes. Winter could feel her heartbeat speed up at Weiss's fragile emotional state. What kind of emotional torment had Jacques and the rest of her family put her through? Without her here to protect Weiss, she must have felt like a stranger in her own home! Winter couldn't imagine the kind of hatred she must possess for everything about the Schnee name. The older Schnee wasn't even surprised at the animosity in Weiss's tone towards her.

"Weiss, I have always _loved_ you."

"You _**LEFT**_!"

"I couldn't spend the rest of my young adult life waiting for you to grow up so I could take you with me!" Winter shot back, a distressed look in her eyes. "Weiss, I want you to understand. Please… I left because I needed to follow my own path, and I saw you were becoming strong enough to handle yourself. You were-"

"I was _eight_ years old Winter! It wasn't about how _strong_ I was! When you left, you left me with a family that hated me! They've _always_ hated me! My _father_ ," Weiss uttered like she had eaten something sour. "Tries to pretend that I don't exist! Whitley finds every opportunity to berate me when my guard is down, and mother is _constantly_ drinking! She's drunk so much she hardly remembers my face anymore!" she cried. Winter could feel the agony in her voice, and it was like Weiss was taking a knife and stabbing her over and over again.

"I never truly realized how bad it was…" Weiss laughed as if the life she lived was some kind of cruel joke. "Because you were always there, trying to make me laugh. You played games with me, did my hair and you even read me stories! You slept in my room when I had nightmares, and you let me into yours when I was scared. You tried to pretend everything was okay when it _wasn't_. Knowing all of that… you still left," the girl sobbed, tears flowing from her eyes. Weiss wasn't even trying to hold them back anymore.

"You were my _hero_ … and you _**abandoned**_ _me_."

"Weiss…" Winter was on the verge of spilling her own tears. "I-I'm sorry. I- I never…" Winter couldn't find the words to explain her situation. She had been thinking for years what to say to Weiss upon her return, and she always knew it was never going to be easy, but this? She could never have imagined that Weiss would have reacted _this_ badly. Perhaps it had crossed her mind, but she always believed that Weiss was strong enough to handle herself upon her leaving. However, she had made such a critical error.

Every parent was terrifying in front of a child, but to Weiss, her father openly ignored her. How could that possibly make a child feel? To have your supposed father figure try and pretend like you didn't exist. Weiss was surrounded by people who had _despised_ her. How could she have been so stupid to leave the one family member she loved the most, alone to fend for herself? It was cruel and moronic. Winter's defenses broke down, her own guilt weighing down upon her, and Weiss's hurtful words had only added to that guilt.

"I don't care anymore," Weiss hissed, forcing Winter to blink through her own tears. "I'm strong enough on my own now. I don't need anyone, and I certainly don't need _you_ anymore. I've grown beyond such _petty_ attachments. I'll live on my own strength, and when I'm old enough, I'll break free of this _prison_."

Something within Winter snapped, a river of anger rushing through her like a tsunami.

"You don't _need_ me anymore!? I gave up my entire childhood to make sure you had one! How dare you have the audacity to brush aside the sacrifices I made for you!" Winter roared, Weiss recoiling slightly in fear. "If you think you're strong enough to take on the world, then why don't you come over here and prove it to me!" she challenged. Something inside of her felt betrayed on some level. Was Weiss really tossing her away after all she had given up for her?

No… it couldn't be. Weiss was just emotional. Knowing that Weiss loved to fight, Winter knew that sparring would ease the younger girl's mind, as well as her own. Weiss was still young, and now there wasn't any doubt in her mind that her words were just fueled by years of bitter loneliness.

From the looks of it, Weiss _had_ kept up her training, and now Winter wanted to see just how far Weiss had come since she left.

"Fine! You asked for it!" Weiss exploded, she took off, flashing forward towards her sister. Winter was shocked at how fast Weiss had gotten. The younger Schnee threw the first punch, forcing Winter to dodge. Using her rigorous training and combat experience she had gained in the last five years, she knew she would outmatch Weiss in terms of technique. What she was not expecting was Weiss's incredible speed and battle sense!

The two zipped around the gym at supersonic speeds, something that Winter was astounded at. How could Weiss be displaying top level huntress speeds at her age!? She knew she was talented, but this…!? This was absolutely insane! Weiss was almost moving faster than her! In fact-!

Weiss broke through Winter's guard and landed a direct hit on her midsection. Winter skidded back a few meters from the outstanding strength of the blow. She was actually slightly winded, despite the fact her aura was still functioning! Did Weiss hit with enough force to bypass her aura!? Sure, Winter had studied some cases where if the blow was precise enough, some of the force from a strike could certainly bypass a person's aura… but that had only been recorded by professionals, triple Weiss's age!

"What's wrong!?" Weiss appeared on Winter's left side and delivered a devastating kick to her side. Winter actually coughed, finding herself short of even more air than before. "All that training in the Atlesian Military must really be paying off!" Weiss mocked as Winter tumbled and hit the ground. She was quick to recover, however, springing to her feet to see Weiss barreling towards her. Winter had been surprised at first. Weiss was displaying skill levels that of a third-year huntsman, perhaps even a fourth! Even as the fight went on, Weiss was constantly catching up with her, even as she increased her own speed. It was as if Weiss was adapting to the battle conditions as the fight went on!

Winter snarled as Weiss got cocky and overextended. She didn't want to hurt her sister, seeing as she had yet to unlock her aura, but Winter was sure she could handle what she was about to dish out. The older Schnee leaned to the side with surprising speed and tripped the younger girl. Weiss stumbled forward, falling onto Winter's knee which winded her terribly. Winter kicked up, forcing Weiss into the air, and used that momentum to spin kick her again into a wall. Winter's foot found itself in Weiss's lower back, sending the younger girl flying.

Weiss hit the wall, cracking it. Falling to the ground she landed on her feet and got back up without any trouble. Winter was even more impressed with the girl's durability than before! Without her aura, she withstood an attack like that? Just what was she _made_ of? Most, if not all humans or faunus would have certainly been dazed after an impact like that, but Winter knew Weiss was special. She had displayed feats like this in the past before. Winter couldn't help but mumble under her breath.

" _Incredible…_ "

"You think that hurts me!?" Weiss growled, standing up with renewed vigor. "I'm just getting warmed up!"

" _She's not even hurt,_ " Winter observed as Weiss stalked towards her. Winter smirked. "Come on then, show me what you've got."

Weiss launched forward, engaging Winter in hand to hand combat. Winter was no stranger to this form of fighting. She had been forced to learn it under the conditions that as an Atlas Specialist, she would be dealing with more than just Grimm. On occasion she would be required to deal with criminals, often some without their aura active. That meant using non-lethal methods of apprehending them, thus her knowledge of hand to hand combat was that of an expert. She had mastered all the basic forms, each taking a little under a year. She was a prodigy amongst her peers and was praised for her hard work and passion.

Now here she was, being pushed to use her vast knowledge to fight her thirteen-year-old sister!

Weiss's form faltered momentarily, and on instinct, Winter took advantage of that, nailing her sister right in the forehead. Weiss stumbled backward, her anger flaring to new heights. She glared at Winter with murderous intent. A growl emitted from her throat, something Winter could only describe as animalistic. It was full of rage and intent to kill, which made her nervous.

Then something strange happened to Weiss.

Her sapphire eyes flashed green, her silver hair momentarily turning blonde. The sudden change caught Winter off-guard, and seeing this, Weiss charged again, completely unaware of what she had just done.

" _What was that? She… changed for an instant,_ " Winter thought, momentarily losing focus of the fight. Before Winter had a chance to return her focus to the fight, Weiss was already in front of her, throwing attacks faster than she could see. Winter held her ground against the constant barrage of attacks. It was almost too much, she could feel her aura fading with each strike. She couldn't believe Weiss was doing enough damage to her to chip away her aura like this! Winter watched as Weiss roared once again, she attacked from the side, throwing a devastating hook that clipped through Winter's guard.

The older Schnee was once again sent flying, but not before she countered with her own attack. A glyph appeared under Weiss and exploded, as Winter flew away. It had been by accident that Winter had instinctively resorted to using her semblance. Maybe it was the frustration of being beaten helplessly by her thirteen-year-old sister, that had a seemingly better hand to hand combat skill than her, or maybe it was just her pride screaming at her to fight back properly. She was far more skilled with her weapons anyway, using her semblance in conjunction with that. However, that didn't seem remotely fair to Weiss, who had nothing but her physical combat skills.

The explosion sent Weiss spiraling back, her entire body smoking from the attack. She hit the ground just as hard as Winter did. Both of them were a few meters away from each other. Winter noted with horror that her aura had been depleted from the backlash of her own blast. It had been enough to chip away the remnants of her aura, and somehow, Weiss was still forcing herself to stand up. From the older Schnee's prone position against a wall she had collided with, Weiss was already pushing herself to her feet with a livid expression.

"You think you're better than me!?" Weiss screamed as a wave of heat ripped through the gym. Winter would have been blown backwards if it wasn't for the wall behind her. Instead, she found herself pinned due to the force that was rolling off Weiss in waves. She couldn't understand where all this raw energy was coming from. The heat was unbearable, the constant barrage of hot air pushing into her body and practically squeezing the life out of her.

"You left me behind! **I will make you feel all the pain I endured!** "

A flaming golden aura erupted around the thirteen-year-old Schnee. The very foundations of the building shook violently, threatening to come down on top of them. Winter blinked away the dust in her eyes to see a golden flame consume her sister. Her physical features changed almost instantly. Her iconic silver hair that the Schnee's were known for turned golden blonde and her sapphire eyes shifted to an emerald green. Her entire body was coated in a yellow flaming aura, her pale skin gleaming at the change. Her hair reflected her wild emotions, various tips standing up defying gravity, her neatly tied ponytail looked like electricity was running through it with how many wild spikes were protruding from it.

Weiss had _changed_.

Before Winter could even utter a word, Weiss disappeared from sight. Not even a second later, the younger girl appeared directly in front of her. Winter managed to get a good look at the changes she had just undergone. She hadn't noticed before, but even Weiss's tail had changed color to match her hair. A golden tail, to match the golden hair and aura. Winter saw nothing but hate and loathing in her younger sister's eyes. Before she even knew it, she had lost control of her body.

Weiss had bent down and grabbed Winter by her ankle in the blink of an eye and tossed her across the room. Winter didn't even blink when she felt an excruciating pain in her side. Weiss had tossed her and had been fast enough to zip across the room and beat her to where she was going to land. Winter's lower back had landed on her knee, the younger girl then extended her knee, using the momentum she had created to fling Winter into another wall. When the older Schnee collided with the wall, her vision darkened. A brief glance up told her that her impact had cracked the wall.

Now it was her turn to be surprised at just how durable _she_ was.

"Weiss," Winter wheezed, holding up a hand to try and surrender. Winter wasn't a fool, she was beaten. Things might have been different if she had her weapons and had been fighting with her semblance from the start, but she had vastly underestimated how impossibly strong her sister had become. It was almost hard to believe that she was being beaten like this! "Please… you… win," the older Schnee coughed, shooting pain erupting all over her body. She could taste something metallic in her mouth, no doubt the result of some internal bleeding, or maybe she had bit her tongue when Weiss kicked her into a wall.

Her words did not reach the younger Schnee, and Winter could see that Weiss had no intention of stopping the fight. Her small, intimidating frame turned and stalked towards Winter, her eyes promising absolution. Was this really it? If Weiss continued, she was definitely going to die. There was no way her body could hold out against that kind of strength. In a last-ditch effort, Winter used her semblance to summon one of the most durable things she could think of. The head of a Goliath Grimm appeared in front of her just in time to intercept Weiss's fist.

The impact of her attack shook the entire room, as the ghostly image of the Grimm shattered after a few moments. Winter's form faltered, her eyes fluttered closed as she raised her hands in a pathetic attempt to ward off Weiss's monstrous strength. Weiss had broken through her older sister's semblance with moderate difficulty when her attack landed. Weiss's fist impacted the wall, millimeters from Winter's head. When the older Schnee realized she wasn't dead, she opened her eyes to see the conflict in Weiss's eyes. She saw burning anger, sadness, and loneliness.

Had she been in control at all?

"Weiss please," Winter whispered, her voice labored from her injuries. "Just stop… you win."

Slowly, the girl retracted her fist, and the golden aura dispersed. Her golden blonde hair reverted to its normal silver tone, and the wild spikes and flattened out to its normal smooth soft length. Her emerald eyes returned to the familiar sapphire blue that Winter loved, and at the same time, a fresh set of tears started to stream out of her eyes. Winter smiled in relief, blood slightly leaking from the corners of her mouth. Weiss had grown up so much since she had left, Winter couldn't have been more proud of her strength and skill. The only thing that worried her, was her seemingly monstrous power. She had practically no control over it!

"W-Winter? I-I-I-"

Winter, with her remaining strength, managed to pull Weiss into a hug, despite how much it hurt her to do so. The younger girl practically fell into her older sister's embrace, tears streaming down her eyes as she did so. Winter calmed the girl, as her wails and cries echoed in her chest. All the years of emotional torment came pouring out all at once, and Winter, despite her weak, fragile state, was more than willing to shoulder all of her sister's pain. She had practically let herself become Weiss's punching bag and emotional outlet. While the damage she sustained was quite extensive, she had no doubt her aura would regenerate and heal most of the damage done to her.

"I will always love you, Weiss. Nothing will ever change that."

=/=

* * *

=/=

It had been difficult, but after the reuniting of both sisters, Winter had made sure she left that night with Weiss.

The younger girl had watched an argument break out between Jacques and Winter once more as she was packing, but ultimately the man could not sway her older sister. The man had even threatened to call the authorities, but Winter had been quick to remind the man that the authorities actually worked for _her_ to some extent. It hadn't been a pretty scene that Jacques had made, but Weiss quickly found herself on a plane with Winter, heading to a different part of Atlas.

Finally, she was free from that accursed home. Not once in her young life had she been allowed to step foot outside the boundaries of the property. Jacques had made sure to keep her locked in her room when the media, or business associates had arrived. She wasn't going to lie when she said she wouldn't miss the place, but she hoped that Klein would be okay. The poor butler had stood up for her many times, and had been the only person she could even remotely call a friend in that hell-hole. However, Jacques had assigned him to Whitley, essentially stripping her of the time he could spend with her. He only managed to see her on the rare occasion.

Winter had even brought her a present, the case she had been carrying around that day. It had been a special weapon that her older sister had ordered to be made for her. The highest quality and materials had been brought together to forge a multi-action Dust Rapier, one Winter had helped her name: Myrtenaster. She wasn't much for weapons, but she would treasure this gift like it was part of her soul. She had never received a present so valuable to her, and for all it was worth, it really showed just how much Winter cared about her. Despite fighting hand to hand coming more naturally to her, she vowed to learn the ways of the sword.

Thankfully, Winter was more than willing to teach her when she had the time.

Weiss was brought to a small apartment, one that Winter had bought with the benefits of her career. While it was Winter's official home when not on duty, Weiss often found that it was rather empty, seeing as Winter seemed to hardly live here. Despite that fact, Winter had made sure to take a month off to live with Weiss and get her reacquainted with the way things worked. The younger Schnee already had a rather basic grasp on personal hygiene. She wasn't a terribly good cook, but she was fussy about keeping things clean, considering that she had no butlers or servants assigned to her. It was up to her to keep her quarters tidy back home.

The two sisters bonded like they never had before. It was a completely different experience for Weiss, and it was a welcoming change for Winter. She was more of a mother figure than Willow ever had been, and now Weiss was seemingly starting to mature. While she knew a lot on her own, she lacked the more... regal standards that Winter had been taught as a child. Manners, for one, was something Weiss was never good at. Winter was astounded at how much the girl ate, comparing her appetite to that of a black hole. Seriously, sometimes she wondered where exactly all the food went.

Naturally, it would be a slow process, teaching Weiss all the elegant mannerisms that a Schnee would have. Weiss despised it, countering with the argument that she hardly considered herself a Schnee, but Winter was having none of it. She came from Schnee blood, despite the fact that she was born from an affair. Her mother had Schnee heritage, and that was all Winter needed to continue pushing Weiss down a pathway of pride and elegance. After the first few months, Weiss was starting to get the message, and adjusted accordingly.

Winter even got an extended vacation, courtesy of General Ironwood, seeing as Jacques had made quite a scene talking to the General about his oldest daughter's behavior. Ironwood had, in the nicest way possible, told the man to grow up, seeing as Winter was an independent adult with a stable, respected career as an Atlesian Specialist, and there was no power he had that he could use over her. Jacques eventually resigned to his fate and dropped the subject altogether, making things easier for everyone involved.

As the months passed, Winter had returned back to her work and Weiss was leisurely living out her days in that small apartment block in the higher district of Atlas. She would often go shopping and because she was wearing Schnee-branded clothing, people always made sure they were wary of her. Not once was she disrespected, but she definitely noticed some of the glares she got. They were few and far between and it never really bothered her. She had come to ignore it, but that didn't stop the rumors from spreading. There were times where she was approached by a few troublemakers, but they left with black eyes and broken noses. Weiss wasn't one to beat around the bush when it came to people who insulted her.

Eventually, Winter started training Weiss using Atlas Academy's facilities. Learning how to use her Rapier came rather slowly to Weiss at first, but once she had picked up the basics, her fighting instinct kicked in and her skill rapidly increased. Winter's expectations had once again been blown away as she watched Weiss train day after day to master the techniques she had been teaching her. Stances, postures, elegance, and level-headedness all came with the mastery of the sword. Weiss's head had to be clear and calm for her to have been able to effectively use her weapon to its maximum potential.

Surprisingly, Weiss had started mixing her own fighting style in with her rapier style combat. She demolished training units with ease, something she had done with her eyes closed! Winter had no choice but to admit that Weiss was a natural fighting genius. She was in her element when in the midst of combat. Slash, kick, jab and uppercut… all in the space of a second. Weiss was so fast and concentrated that Winter believed she was _born_ to become a huntress. It was her destiny to fulfill a role like this.

However, no matter how hard Winter tried, Weiss had refused to use her semblance while sparring with her. That incredible golden blonde transformation she had achieved through their emotional spar when they had first met was undoubtedly her semblance. It was rather strange that Weiss was unable to use glyphs or summoning, but ever since that day, Winter had been convinced that she had awakened her semblance. However, Weiss's reaction and realization of what she had done in that form had prompted her to refuse to use it while fighting her, or anyone. Winter could understand, she was deeply terrified that Weiss had almost killed her own sister, the only person who ever cared to love her in the first place.

That was more than enough to repress the use of her semblance.

Weiss had said it was too dangerous, and that she was better off without it.

Winter had to disagree multiple times on that account, but Weiss was stubborn and dug in her heels on the matter. That was going to be something she would have to work on with her over a longer period of time. Although, as the months turned into years, and Weiss's sixteenth birthday rolled around, Winter was starting to realize that it was time for her little sister to move on. She had stagnated, and she knew she couldn't remain in Atlas anymore. The girl had to go out and see the world. She couldn't be trapped on this icy continent any longer. Winter had even confronted Ironwood on what to do.

After learning about Weiss's inner potential as a huntress, he was interested to get her inducted into Atlas Academy upon her seventeenth birthday. That mindset of his suddenly changed when he decided to view one of her training sessions with his own eyes. Winter had volunteered to spar with Weiss while Ironwood observed. Winter had used the excuse that he was merely observing the younger girl who he had heard so much about. Weiss was thrilled she was getting attention from a man with such a high prestige.

As the two sisters sparred, he came to realize something vastly different about Weiss Schnee. For a girl of her age, she was demonstrating skill and power, that of an experienced huntress. Seeing her almost limitless potential, he had wasted no time about talking to Winter about getting Weiss enrolled in Atlas Academy early, seeing as she was already leagues better than most others her age. However, it became quickly apparent that Winter did not see eye to eye with him on this matter.

Winter was more interested in getting Weiss away from Atlas, and away from her family. It was no secret that the Schnee Dust Company held some power and influence in Atlas Academy, and so the older Schnee had no intention of sending Weiss there. Instead, she was looking at sending her sister to the best huntsmen academy on Remnant.

That title belonged to none other than Beacon Academy, stationed in the Kingdom of Vale. Run by the mysterious Professor Ozpin, that school had thrived under his guidance and produced some of the best huntsmen ever to walk Remnant. As much as Ironwood wanted Weiss's potential to shine within Atlas, he wasn't going to go behind one of his most trusted lieutenant's backs to get what he wanted.

It seemed Winter was set on sending Weiss off down her own path.

That path, lead away from Atlas, and towards Vale.

The youngest Schnee was conflicted, between wanting to stay in Atlas with her sister and leaving to get as far away from the Kingdom as possible. She desired to have more distance away from her supposed father figure, and the rest of the family that she deeply despised. However, both Weiss and Winter had come to an agreement, the former begrudgingly accepting that it was time to move on. Weiss would be moving to Vale if their meeting with Professor Ozpin went accordingly. Ironwood had been kind enough to call ahead to set up a meeting, for the two sisters. Ozpin was a busy man, after all, running one of the best Academies in Remnant.

Upon landing in Vale, Weiss noted that the climate was much warmer and that the temperatures she had grown used to in Atlas simply didn't exist here. She wore a white tank top, covered by a Schnee jacket with an inner red lining. It was a gift from Winter, and she found the jacket to be rather comfortable and fitting. She wore dark skin tight pants with a small hole at the back to compensate for her tail and faded white and blue shin-high combat heels, custom made with the Schnee family symbol. Winter had told Weiss to take pride in who she was, despite the fact that everyone in her family other than Winter tried to pretend she didn't exist.

With Myrtenaster clipped to her side, she walked next to her sister as they exited the bullhead that delivered them to Beacon's front courtyard. As the Schnee sisters walked, Weiss noted the kinds of people that were strolling around the courtyard. Various people, human and faunus all getting along without a hint of animosity. It almost felt too good to be true. As she passed some boys, she even got a few winks from them. Slightly flustered at such attention, she turned away and picked up the pace to catch up with her sister, who seemingly had ignored all the attention.

They made their way through the corridors of Beacon Academy, Weiss making sure to take in all her surroundings. She couldn't help but grin at the prospect of fighting so many new people. She hadn't really gotten the chance to test her strength on anyone other than Winter. While fighting her sister definitely gave her a challenge, she also desired the thrill and excitement of seeing the skillset of other huntsmen. Each person she passed seemed to have a different weapon, and that gave her enough information to know that each person had their own unique way of fighting. She could feel an itch that demanded to be scratched, but she knew she'd have to wait until she was old enough to apply.

"Having second thoughts?" Winter queried as the two stepped into the elevator to head to Ozpin's office. Weiss took a moment to think about the question. She would definitely miss Winter, but even she knew it was time to move on. She had practically attached herself to Winter the moment the woman had returned. She had rescued her from that household prison and had taken care of her, teaching her various life skills that she would need to know going forward. The last three years had been the best years of her life so far, she could only hope that these next few would be even better.

"Everything is quite overwhelming. There's just… so many people!" Weiss stated in awe as the elevator thundered to life, slowly ascending to the top of Beacon Academy. She glanced out the windows to see masses of crowds, huntsmen and huntresses alike, all different sizes and builds. Faunus, human… it didn't matter. They were all going about their business, laughing and spending time with their teams. Weiss could only hope her team could be something like that in the near future. She was several months away from her seventeenth birthday, so she would have to wait a while. However, the plan was for her to stay here until that time.

"Yes," Winter replied with an impassive look on her face. "Beacon Academy is the most populated Academy for Huntsmen in all of Remnant. Some travel across the entire world _just_ to come here because it's renowned as the best. Atlas, being the close second, but the expenses put people off. Only the most prestigious of families manage to get their child into Atlas Academy. Atlas is a wealthy Kingdom, and it only makes sense that the wealthy live there."

"Why is the price so high? If Beacon is better, then why does Atlas keep the cost up?" Weiss questioned. Winter merely sighed, knowing the answer was going to make the younger Schnee unhappy.

"The Schnee Dust Company sponsors Atlas Academy, and in return for free Dust Supplies and high-grade weaponry development, our father Jacques demands a hefty cut from those who apply and enter Atlas Academy. To meet those demands, the council that runs the Academy has set the entry fees rather high. Beacon may produce the best huntsmen and huntresses, but if you want the best weapons to go with your training, you go to Atlas."

On that somber note, the elevator dinged, the doors sliding open to reveal a man with silver hair sitting at his desk with a hot cup of chocolate next to him. The sweet smell made Weiss scrunch her nose up. Winter walked out of the elevator, followed by Weiss looking rather disgruntled at the news her older sister had just given her. Yet another reason to hate the man that had made her childhood a misery. It was all about profits and money with that man. It made her utterly sick to even think about him.

"Good evening, Ms. Schnee. I take it this is the young huntress I've heard so much about?" Ozpin greeted gesturing to Weiss as the Schnee sisters took a seat in front of his desk. Weiss made sure to sit quietly and observe the conversation. Winter had taught her that inside or outside a battlefield, always take care and observe your surroundings, even the people you share proximity with. You can never learn too much about the people you surround yourself with. The lesson had been lost on her at first, but it eventually started to make sense. She had become more aware of the world around her as a result.

A rather unorthodox method of training. It had never occurred to Weiss to train her mind as much as her body until then.

"Of course, Professor. As you already know, Weiss is very talented and a capable huntress. She desires to learn and fight for the betterment of mankind," Winter started. Weiss wanted to protest that but kept quiet like Winter had warned her too. Really, she had no desire to fight and protect mankind, it was more or less something that she was going to do anyway. She desired to become stronger, a constant drive to better herself was evident. Winter knew that Weiss's torment from her family would put the rest of humanity in a bad light for her, but she was coming to realize that there _were_ people worth saving. "I've made sure to include documented statistics on all her strengths and weaknesses. No doubt you have also seen the videos Ironwood has given you."

Weiss nervously glanced towards her sister. She wasn't aware Winter had _filmed_ her when she had sparred with her. Not that it mattered anyway.

"Yes, indeed I have. I am very impressed with what I saw. While extremely talented, I can see she still has a lot to learn, but I must ask, why would a representative of Atlas Academy be sending such a promised student my way? I suspect there is more to this than the controversies surrounding the ethics of Atlas Academy's systems," Ozpin stated, causing Weiss to raise a curious eyebrow. Winter merely huffed quietly at the man's smug tone. Weiss understood that Winter didn't want to elaborate earlier on the problems with Atlas, but she had no idea there were ethical problems over there.

There was a brief moment of silence before Winter managed to find her voice.

"You can clearly see that my sister is a faunus," Winter started, causing Weiss to flinch. The brown appendage unfolded from behind her and snaked its way around to her front. She absently griped the tip of her tail with both hands and squeezed a little, her nerves starting to get the best of her. Being a faunus made fitting into society difficult. It was even more difficult being a one in _Atlas_ of all places. However, it was living _Hell_ , being a faunus in the Schnee family. "I think you can understand her situation, being born into the Schnee family as a faunus. You've met my father, so take a guess as to how he reacted to Weiss."

Ozpin sighed, a look of sadness crossing his face. Weiss looked a little shocked, not from the emotion that crossed his eyes, but just how _old_ he looked. It had only been for a brief moment, but Weiss could have sworn she had seen countless years of regret and disappointment, like he had failed to do something important. It was gone in a flash when his brown colored eyes landed on her. A warm feeling washed over her, something that put her to ease when the man gave her a warm smile.

"I couldn't imagine the kind of prejudice you have suffered, young lady. I know it is not my place, but I am sorry for what you have been through. You will be glad to know that nothing like that will ever pass here within this academy. Any racial problems here at Beacon are dealt with swiftly, and harshly. You can rest easy, knowing that this is a safe place for you," the man said, his words almost intoxicatingly attracting. Weiss couldn't help but feel relieved hearing those words come out of his mouth, and it seemed that Winter had noted her relief, as her own smile broke out across her face.

"Thank you," Weiss replied softly. "You have no idea how good it is to hear that."

"Anyway," Winter stated, returning to the issue at hand. "I feel it is best for Weiss to be as far away from Atlas as possible. Our father has been known to use some… less than ethical tactics to get what he wants. While he hasn't tried anything so far, I fear that if Weiss were to attend Atlas, that might give him some hold over her. I will not have that, so I have taken it upon myself to seek out other solutions to avoid a potential problem. Besides, after what she has been through, I think she deserves the best education and opportunities we can provide her. I know I shouldn't be saying this, but the answer was obviously Beacon."

"I appreciate your kind words, Ms. Schnee. I would be more than happy to provide Weiss with residency until she can attend classes here at Beacon. We have a few dorm rooms open after our last batch of students graduated, so finding her a room shouldn't be a problem. However… should she fail the initiation exam," Ozpin trailed off causing Weiss to flinch. Winter merely rolled her eyes while Ozpin chuckled to himself. "Well, I don't think we need to worry about that. Given from what I've seen of her, I'm sure she will pass with flying colors."

Weiss's distressed face lightened up at the joke. She hadn't quite caught onto the fact that Ozpin was merely teasing her. While she wasn't exactly sure that this was the appropriate time to make jokes, she had to admit she felt rather at ease with his calm attitude. Winter had constantly told her that she would be years in front of her peers in terms of skill, strength and overall speed. She would have to pay attention in classes though, seeing as she hadn't had the high-class education taught to her in Atlas. She was given the most basic materials to study. She would be a bit behind in the academics department, something that she was determined to fix.

"Thank you, Professor. I'm sure my sister will surpass all expectations," Winter replied with a smile.

"I'm sure she will. While she waits, I'll have Glynda tutor her until the next batch of new students come in. She will be allowed to join in then, and sit the initiation exam just like everyone else," the headmaster stated. Winter nodded while Weiss exhaled quietly, relief flooding her body. She had no idea she had been so nervous!

"I won't disappoint you, Professor Ozpin!" Weiss declared with determination. The man merely chuckled, an amused smile crossing his features.

"I'm sure you won't. Welcome to Beacon, Weiss Schnee."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **So that's a thing. So allow me to clear some things up.**

 **Yeah, Weiss is a Super Saiyan already. Don't mistake this for me just giving Team RWBY the transformation for kicks. There is a reason why Weiss is the first to be introduced, and let me say this right now, she is the** **only** **one that knows / can transform going into Volume one. It might seem like a strange choice and yes, Weiss might be one of my favorite characters, but her emotional backstory is tragic enough to allow her to trigger the transformation earlier than the rest of team RWBY. That being said, she isn't going to be using it willy-nilly. As this chapter has established, she is hesitant to even use the form.**

 **I also don't really want to fall into the trap of writing a childhood / growing up arc, because I would be following four characters, and that's something I don't want to trap myself in. I want to get straight into the juicy stuff, but at the same time, I want to give the proper context for the differences each member of team RWBY faces seeing as they are now half-Saiyans. So instead of writing a childhood arc for each of the characters, I've settled on a single chapter trailer for each one of them.  
**

 **Lastly, I am unsure about using DBZ Movie Villains. A few of you have commented giving a few ideas on who and what to use. I can honestly say that I've taken your suggestions to thought, but don't expect them to happen. I've never been a fan of the Movies to be quite honest, aside from Bojack Unbound, Battle of Gods, and Resurrection of F.**

 **Phew, have I covered everything? Goodness, I hope so. Hopefully, future closing chapter notes won't be as long as this one.  
**

 **Until next time!**


	3. Black

**A/N:**

 **Hey guys, it's been a while since my last update hasn't it? Like I said in the latest This War of Mine chapter, I have been busy over the Christmas and New Years break. I've been lazy and took a few steps away from writing to spend time doing other things. Not to fear, I am back, and Hooooo boy did you guys** _ **really**_ **want this update.**

 **Honestly, the amount of positive feedback for the first two chapters has me utterly stumped. Not even with TWOM did I** _ **ever**_ **have such supportive feedback to the point where I had people PMing me, asking me to put this story before TWOM. Sorry for all those that want that, because that's not happening. Until that story is finished, it will remain my top priority.**

 **It might seem a bit underwhelming, but this chapter is rather short. Blake's introduction along with the joint chapter of Ruby and Yang's introductions are short compared to Weiss's. The reason for this being that Weiss has changed the most out of all of them, therefore, she needs the larger detailed backstory to really flesh out the changes made to her character.**

 **Chapter length after chapter four should be around 8-12k, so look forward to that. It's only because these are the intro/trailer chapters that they are so short. They are here to set the scene and give a detailed understanding of each of team RWBY's backgrounds before heading into the main story.**

 **Anyway, enough with all of that! Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 _Chapter Three: Black_

Sitting alone at a table, a black haired girl with cat ears was quietly reading a book.

The sound of idle chatter filled the room as the girl tried her hardest to focus on the story she was reading. It was about a legendary warrior who stood up for his friends and family and rose above all odds to defeat the evil that loomed over their heads. She loved these types of books as they corresponded with her interests in fighting and combat. She loved martial arts and the prospect of one day becoming a huntress. Fighting monsters, battling evil, and growing stronger would be a dream come true!

A sharp pain suddenly had her body stiffen as a feeling of utter weakness washed over her. She turned around to see a boy with a group of his friends pulling on her tail. Her lips quivered as the boy roared with laughter, his friends joining in on the obviously cruel joke.

"What's the matter _freak_?" the boy laughed as he pulled harder. "Cat got your tongue? Oh, wait! You _are_ a cat! But if you're a cat, then what's this!?" he finished, pulling the tail harder. If she could, she would punch this kid's lights out and break his arms in the process. Then she would cripple his friends for even daring to laugh at her while she was in such a weak position. However, she could not muster the strength as every time someone grabbed her tail, she felt the strength leave her body.

The years had not been kind to Blake Belladonna.

"A monkey or a cat? Which is she?"

"God, what a freak!"

"Jeez, even for a faunus, this girl is screwed up!"

No matter where she went, the bullying never ceased.

This was the _third_ school she had transferred to after countless incidents at other schools. At the first, her parents had moved her before the school board could really make a fuss about her violent actions. Her time at her second school ended with expulsion, having broken bones and almost crippled many of her peers for picking on her. It didn't take long to chip away the patience of Blake Belladonna, and when she snapped, it was a sight to behold.

She was ruthless when it came to bullies, and often they stayed away from her, but this particular group wouldn't let up.

Her mother and father had constantly told her that violence wasn't the answer. 'Don't give the humans a reason to despise the faunus even further' they would say. However, Blake couldn't see why she should even care! Her father had stated multiple times that the faunus needed to stand together to promote themselves as better people and fight for equal rights. If that was the case, then why were the other faunus kids standing around and letting her get bullied? Why wouldn't they stand up to these other kids and help her out!?

Even now, as she looked around… she caught the eye of other faunus her age as they glanced at her with pity in their eyes. They would just try to pretend it wasn't happening!?

Why!? Just… Just because she had two faunus traits!? Just because she was different from the rest…!?

What a bunch of _**cowards!**_

None of the other faunus stood up for her! Not a single one of them even tried! Why should she help protest for equal rights when her faunus peers didn't even try to help her when she was getting bullied nearly every day of the week!? She tried… so hard. She wanted to do the right thing. She wanted to be treated equally! Her mother and father fought day in and day out for the equal rights for their species, but at the end of the day, what was the point when other faunus weren't brave enough to stand up for each other!?

" _Screw them!_ " Blake's thoughts were a maelstrom of rage. " _Screw the faunus! Screw the humans! I'll MAKE them respect me!"_

The moment the bully's grip on her tail loosened, she spun and hooked the ten-year-old human in the face. Satisfaction coursed through her body as she felt his jaw crack under the force of her assault. She was a whirlwind of pain and suffering, running circles around the bully's friends and taking them out one by one, making sure to break bones and possibly cripple them in the process. She wasn't even a month into her new school and she had already cracked.

It was over in less than a minute, and before any teachers could arrive to put a stop to the brutal, one-sided fight, Blake had already picked up her book and left the room. She walked out and didn't stop walking until she was all the way home. She didn't care about school anymore, and she didn't care about making friends. Who needs friends when no one had your back when you needed it? The hypocrisy astounded the small girl! Why should she give a damn about the plight that plagued her race when none of them had the stones to defend her when she was vulnerable!?

Was it because she had a monkey's tail and a pair of cat ears? Was it because even among the faunus, she was different to the rest of them?

She was bullied more than the rest of the faunus. She was targeted more often.

It wouldn't have surprised her if that was the case. Her mother and father denied it whenever she asked, but the more she experienced _social interaction_ , the more she began to realize that having two faunus characteristics was practically unheard of. Some faunus her age avoided her because of this, while others were indifferent. Some were nice and friendly, but gave off the vibe that they didn't really want her around.

It wasn't long before her parent's pulled her out of that school as well. Kali settled on homeschooling her instead, seeing as her track record wasn't promising. Nothing about Blake was normal, because of this Kali felt like raising the girl was like climbing the tallest mountain in the world. Luckily, she had Ghira to support her, and she knew that in the end, the climb would be worth it. Blake was special, and Kali loved her with all her heart. However, Kali could not ignore the obvious fact that Blake's tendencies were concerning.

Apparently, upon the day of her birth, she had officially made history as the first healthy faunus born with more than a single trait. Her parents had been stunned, both the mother and father couldn't make sense of what their child was displaying! She was born with similar feline features from her mother's side, but also, a monkey's tail. The doctors who delivered the baby couldn't understand it either, and they were tempted to label the girl with some kind of birth defect. However, aside from the extra trait, there was nothing medically wrong with her. In fact, she was one of the healthiest newborns the medical clinic had ever seen!

She was as normal as they come. Perfectly healthy and stable. They had made sure to run several tests a few months after her birth, but not a single medical specialist could figure out this conundrum. Blake was undoubtedly a special child, and as she grew up, she even started performing seemingly impossible feats. There were stacks of evidence to solidify that her strength and endurance was beyond that of a normal faunus child, or even human for that matter. It certainly didn't take long for the White Fang to catch wind of this news, and questions broke out all over the revolutionary group.

Was she a freak?

Or was she the sign of some sort of evolutionary progression?

The reactions from other faunus were rather mixed and opted to take the middle ground.

Due to all these conflicting opinions and unwanted attention, Ghira and Kali decided to step back from the White Fang. The group had been slowly turning violent with the rise of Sienna Khan's popularity, and the peaceful methods they had once advocated were slowly falling out of favor. Sienna got results quickly with her unethical actions. Ghira had to commend her for her restraint, seeing as she seemed intelligent enough to know where the line was drawn when it came to violence.

She never advocated killing, but she succeeded in letting humans know that with her lead, the White Fang and other faunus would no longer be pushed around.

With his favor falling out to Sienna Khan, Ghira voluntarily stepped back as leader of the White Fang, and thus moved Kali and her child to Menagerie. It was a small continent far away from the rest of the world, and the people there were in dire need of a leader, which was something Ghira was willing to take up. He had discussed the new leadership with the small council in Menagerie before moving there, and it was decided that he would fulfill a chieftain's role upon arrival.

It was around Blake's eighth birthday when they moved, and she couldn't have been happier to get away from both the White Fang, and the Kingdom of Mistral. Neither seemed to be doing her any favors for her growth mentally or physically. The White Fang members had mixed feelings about her dual faunus traits. Blake hated the treatment on both sides and just wanted to be seen as another one of their kind, not a freak or a messiah.

So they moved, and Blake found herself living in Menagerie. Needless to say life there was rather boring and uneventful.

While Blake did suffer similar oppression there, it was much less than it was in Mistral. She didn't get on with anyone her age due to having both cat ears and a monkey's tail. Despite moving, she remained an outcast. At least the bullying stopped, but that was about the only plus side Blake could even think of. Most of the faunus kids ignored her, or openly tried to avoid her. She was different in a society that openly protested about the inequality they received.

Blake just got tired of trying so hard.

Making friends just didn't seem that interesting to her anyway.

She didn't relate to a lot of the other kids. They all wanted to play games and other things kids enjoyed doing, while Blake preferred to read and study more adult material like martial arts and combat. She even read about Grimm and personal journals that famous huntsmen had written. Her mother had thought the material was a bit dark and mature for her tastes, but she couldn't argue with her daughter, seeing as it was the only thing she ever really asked for.

Kali felt horrible, knowing there wasn't much she could do for Blake in that regard. Her only child had tried so hard to connect with other people, but she just got burned in the end.

Blake gave up trying to build a social life.

She didn't care anymore.

She had a caring mother and a loving father. Who said she needed anyone else? She would stick to doing what she loved the most in the confinement of her home. If there was one thing about this life that she loved, it was her innate fighting instincts. She loved to fight, and there was still so much more to learn about the art. Kali and Ghira had noticed their daughter's strange attraction to martial arts the moment she learned how to walk. At first, they thought she wanted to learn because she wanted to defend herself against bullies, but after a few years, they started to see that there was more to it than just self-defense.

It was an innate passion and talent for it.

All throughout her life, even into her early teenage years, combat and martial arts was practically her life-blood. Ghira had suggested the possibility of becoming a huntress, something that appealed greatly to the young faunus. She felt attracted to the idea of growing stronger and studying the art of fighting Grimm and criminals at a prestigious academy, but the end goal to protect humanity was something that didn't exactly draw her in. She supposed she would be doing the world a service, but since when had anyone aside from her family done anything for _her_? What made everyone else so important that they required protecting? Blake didn't see the draw, but the other aspects were more than enough to peak her interests.

Applying to one of these prestigious academies did require _one_ thing that Blake currently lacked, and that was a weapon. She would have argued that she was perfectly capable fighting with her body against the creatures of Grimm, but apparently, weapons were common tools that huntsmen used. Therefore, it was required that she have a weapon upon entry.

So she decided to make one.

This was a process that took her a few years to finish the design and complete the weapon. It was an enjoyable process that both parents were more than happy to help with.

Its design wasn't exactly groundbreaking or ridiculously over the top like most of the examples she had seen. She entertained the idea of fighting with a sword, so she crafted a long, black, curved blade with three serrated edges along its spine. She initially had trouble crafting the weapon after designing it on paper, and had to see a local blacksmith several times to get the right shape. After it was complete, she managed to find a suitable ribbon to attach to the end of the hilt. She'd be able to throw the weapon to compensate for its lack of range.

A huntsmen's weapon often had some kind of ranged capability built into its design, but Blake wasn't too keen on that idea. Especially when those ideas involved highly volatile firearms that required dust to operate.

Blake wasn't a fan of the guns, so she didn't include it in her weapon design. Custom designing the sheath took too much time and effort so clipping the sword to her back was easy enough to do. She had to position it right so the cutting edge didn't threaten to slice her tail off while she was walking. That was the last thing she wanted to do considering the stupid appendage was so sensitive. She was pretty happy with her end result, and happily named the weapon 'Gambol Shroud' after her parents had suggested she name it.

After all, all huntsmen and huntresses named their weapons.

She thought it was stupid, but entertained the idea anyway. She was surprised to find it grew on her in the end.

By the time Blake was sixteen, things had changed. She no longer experienced the oppression she had endured as a child. Walking around with a sword attached to her back, and the skills and strength to rival a fourth-year huntress, people tended to be wary of her. Blake wouldn't be the first to admit she had a rather short fuse when it came to people she didn't like.

White Fang members would often visit Menagerie in order to recruit more faunus for their cause. There were only a couple of messy incidents, but Blake had made sure she had cleaned up the mess they had made. It was because of this, she had made a name for herself around Menagerie. Despite coming here as an outcast, she slowly started to experience the feeling of inclusion and acceptance.

A sense of happiness grew on her as the locals started to treat her nicely, instead of some kind of strange unexplained accident.

While the majority of adults and older faunus were starting to see her as the local pest control and a law enforcer of sorts, those who were her own age still avoided her. They at least respected her now, but she could clearly tell it was out of fear. There were very few faunus here her age that were training to become huntsmen, and they were the ones that stayed out of trouble. Despite all this, Blake was starting to feel right at home in Menagerie, but the desire to go out and explore was almost overwhelming. Her seventeenth birthday was coming up, meaning she would be legally allowed to attend one of the academies.

Hesitantly, her parents had helped her pick, knowing that it was time she set out on her own to make her own future. They knew she didn't want to be stuck in Menagerie her entire life, so they would support her decision to attend one of the huntsman academies.

Automatically, Atlas Academy and Shade Academy were ruled out, one because it was too far to travel, and two, the expenses were just something they couldn't afford. That left them with Beacon Academy and Haven Academy. Seeing as Haven was back in Mistral, Blake had automatically turned her nose up at it, so that left her with Beacon Academy.

It was a good decision too, seeing as the Academy was seemingly rated the best out of the four available.

Without wasting too much time, her parents had helped create her transcripts and within a few days, had sent them to be evaluated. It wasn't difficult to get invited to these Academies, considering that there was an initiation exam that you were required to pass. If you ended up failing, you were sent home. Blake wasn't too fussed, seeing as she had already had her aura unlocked by her father when she was younger, and she knew she was more than capable of passing an entrance exam. She was already combat adept, and while her hand-to-hand combat was beyond expert level, her skill with her sword was something she needed to work on.

After a few weeks, Blake received her invitation and was on a boat heading to Vale before she even knew it. She hadn't even realized, but a feeling of anxiety started to creep into her heart. What if she was labeled an outcast again? It took years for people in Menagerie to see who she really was. With cat ears and a tail, she would be seen as a freak at Beacon Academy! She hadn't even thought about it until she was already on the boat! Her mother and father had probably deliberately avoided mentioning it because they thought she was past worrying about it now.

It wouldn't be the first time they had been wrong about something.

=/=

* * *

=/=

When Blake arrived in Vale, she made sure to pick up a means of disguise.

With the money her parents had given her, she purchased a cute black bow to go with her outfit, which consisted mostly of black and white clothes. She wore a white coat that draped all the way down her back to her ankles, along with a sleeveless black crop top. Along with this, she wore long black pants that were mostly hidden by the thigh-high combat boots that she wore. Instead of using a belt, she would wrap her tail around the top of her pants, almost acting as a camouflage. If people looked hard enough, they would know she was a faunus.

But out of the corner of their eyes, she appeared human.

Blake was astounded at how easy it was to talk to people when she was disguised. While some had recognized her as a faunus upon seeing her brown tail wrapped around her waist, she never experienced the kind of oppression she had first been subjected to when she was a child. Walking the streets of Vale, she was just Blake Belladonna, a normal faunus girl if you paid enough attention. She had quickly grown used to the disguise and made sure it was part of her everyday attire. A simple black bow would be easy to maintain to hide her feline ears. She just had to make sure she was careful.

Once she had settled into Vale, she decided to take a look around the Kingdom, seeing as this was where she would be staying. She scouted out most of the Residential district, seeing as it was the closest to Beacon Academy, and she made sure she visited the Industrial, Commercial, and the Upper-Class districts. She made sure to pass on a visit to the Agricultural district, seeing as there didn't seem to be anything worth seeing over there. Mostly farmers and rural workers that maintained a steady supply of crops and other resources for the Kingdom. Blake was sure that wouldn't really be important with her stay here.

Needless to say, it was leagues more impressive than Menagerie, but that wasn't exactly a high bar to clear. From her earlier memories, she decided it would be better to compare this Kingdom to Mistral, and Vale definitely had better infrastructure than Mistral. All the natural barriers kept the Grimm out, the back half of Vale was blocked by a body of water, and last time she checked, aquatic Grimm didn't exactly come close to the land. The Kingdom of Vale seemed like the place to live. Perfect weather conditions and an all-around good city. Atlas had it beat only in terms of technology, but not a lot of people liked the cold north.

A few weeks out from Beacon's new school year and Blake was returning home after having dinner out. She had made sure to contact her parents to ensure she had a steady supply of money, otherwise, restaurant bills would start stacking up.

If there was anything her parents disliked about her, it was her appetite.

Kali had constantly complained that she ate too much and that she would become overweight, or bloat like a balloon. As funny as it was, she never did. All her food metabolized extraordinarily quickly, much to her parent's dismay. She inhaled plates of food as if they were made from air! Even Blake surprised herself sometimes.

Not to mention that the looks on some of the staff's faces were priceless. They had never seen a girl eat so much!

She had made sure to take some home to her temporary apartment in the Residential district, and the night had been going smoothly until she bumped into an unfavorable person. Blake had been lost in thought, not watching where she was going. She had stumbled into two men, one with sandy blonde hair, and another with slick black hair. One had a giant sword on his back, and the other didn't seem to be brandishing any kind of weapon at all. One of them was holding a scroll and seemed to have been talking to someone on the other end.

Blake had cursed as she dropped a few bags of food that she hoped would last until the Bullheads arrived to take the new students to Beacon.

"Watch it girly," a rough voice drawled. She looked up to see the man with the giant sword glaring at her. "Eyes front, and maybe you won't walk into other people," he finished bitterly. Blake growled lightly as she pushed herself to her feet. She noted the blonde haired man whispered something into his scroll before hanging up and shoving the device into his back pocket.

"Why don't you stop taking up so much space on the sidewalk?" Blake shot back haughtily. Something about the man's tone really rubbed her the wrong way. The way he talked down to her as if she were a child. At least when people insulted her, they talked to her like she was an adult. This man had practically just scolded her like she was an obnoxious child! The man smirked at the comeback while the blonde next to him just sighed.

"Come on Qrow, just apologize so we can go home. Let's not get into a fight right now, especially with a kid," the man stated, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder. The man dubbed Qrow scoffed as he kept his crimson eyes trained on Blake. He noticed the pitch black sword that was clipped to her back and he immediately knew he was probably dealing with a huntress… or since the Beacon Semester was due to start, a huntress in training.

"She walked into me!" Qrow slurred, protesting the clear injustice from his blurred point of view. "Besides, why should I apologize? I didn't do anything Tai."

"It was probably your Semblance acting up again."

"Oh, as if! That's your excuse whenever I'm around isn't it? You drop a glass when I'm in the next room? Qrow's fault. Your whiteboard marker runs out in the middle of teaching a class? Qrow's fault!"

"I knew we shouldn't have visited that bar," Taiyang groaned as Blake watched on, completely lost on how the conversation had gotten here. Had she stumbled into two drunks? "How do you plan to sober up before we get home? If you turn up drunk again, Raven will castrate you. I don't even want to think about what Summer will do."

"Hey," Qrow retorted in annoyance. "I can handle my liquor! You're the lightweight."

"God," Blake growled, drawing the attention of the two males. "You're both idiots. Move aside so I can be on my way!"

"Just walk around us," Qrow snapped at her. Blake's anger was starting to bubble in her chest. "It's not like the road is busy. It's ten o'clock!"

"Maybe, I don't want to walk on the road you drunkard!"

"What did you call me?!"

"You must be deaf because I'm standing right in front of you!"

Taiyang groaned.

"Here we go…"

Qrow turned away from Taiyang and walked directly up to the charcoal haired girl. She attempted to move around him, but he stepped in her way, deliberately. Ignoring the excessive calls from Taiyang to leave her alone, Qrow persisted for his own entertainment. The longer this went on, the angrier Blake got. After a few moments, Blake finally gave in and dropped her grocery bags. Qrow smirked as he leaned down to level with her, eye to eye. Blake was livid, and Qrow's smug look wasn't helping her quell her growing rage.

"You got something to say to me? I think it goes a little along the lines of-"

"Get out of my face!" Blake's fist collided with the man's jaw, and in the blink of an eye, he was sent flying about fifty meters down the street. Taiyang watched with astonishment as Qrow's body ragdolled and hit the pavement with a painful crack. The blonde man's eyes darted between his downed partner, and the girl who had seemingly demonstrated she was capable of turning a full-grown huntsman, into a human rocket! That was something only Ruby and Yang had managed to do, to _both_ of them on separate occasions. He turned his head back to Blake and noted the brown appendage wrapped around her waist. Yang did a similar thing to stop Ruby from constantly pulling her tail.

"What are the odds? Another teenage girl with a tail that can probably kick our asses six ways to Sunday," Taiyang mumbled as he strolled over to Qrow. The man was slowly pushing himself to his feet. Stumbling around in the process he managed to anchor himself on a nearby wall and pull himself up. He would be lying if he said he wasn't seeing stars right now. That girl had a hook on her that could have rivaled Yangs! Hell, if he wasn't so used to training with his nieces, he was sure he'd be sporting a broken jaw right about now, aura or none! There was some impossible force behind that hook.

"You still want to continue to piss me off? I'll be more than happy to kick your ass," Blake yelled with a snide tone. "Who knows, maybe if I knock you a few feet through the ground, a tree might grow out of your thick skull!"

"Wonderful," Qrow murmured. "Another teenage huntress with strength that would put a Goliath to shame. This new generation is _insane_ ," he finished as Taiyang helped him stand up the rest of the way. The blonde swept the dust and grime off his partner's shoulders and back. Qrow could definitely take some abuse and had been over the years. Both Yang and Ruby were a piece of work to help raise. Raven and Summer were glad their teammates were around to help, because those two women certainly could not handle the two girls they had given birth to.

"She has a strikingly familiar tail," Taiyang whispered as Blake edged closer to them. Her murderous expression had not quelled at all with the damage she had delivered to Qrow. Clearly, she wasn't satisfied. Go figure, neither were Ruby and Yang when they were getting warmed up. "Look, she wraps it around her waist, just like Yang!"

"So what? She has a tail. I'm going to kick her ass for socking me like that."

"That's not the best idea."

"No," Blake growled as she unsheathed her sword. " **It isn't**."

"I really hate your semblance."

"Less talking, more fighting!" Qrow exclaimed as he ripped his greatsword off his back and shot forward with blinding speed. Blake brought up her sword just in time for the huntsman's overly sized sword to clash with hers. Sparks danced as the two found themselves in a sword lock. Blake felt a sensation surge through her, a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time. The excitement of a tense battle. She could tell that this man was strong by how much force he was exerting on her blade. She pushed back with glee, the thrill of battle giving her all the energy she needed. The more she pushed, the more he pushed back.

Having had enough of this engagement, Blake broke off the sword lock and slashed at the older huntsman. He easily avoided the devastating attack like it was almost second nature to him. Out of the corner of her eye, she noted that the man's blonde friend had decided not to get involved in the fight. He seemed to be watching from the sidelines with a bored expression, like this sort of thing happened far too often. Returning her focus back to her opponent, she grinned, knowing that it seemed to be a _fair_ one on one battle.

Twirling her sword in her hand, she zipped forward, closing in on the retreating form of the huntsman. Blake slashed back and forth horizontally, the man easily reading her movements and dodging her attacks. Blake could only feel the excitement bubbling in her chest as she tested the waters of her opponent's skill. She could already tell from his age and movements, that he was a veteran huntsman. This battle would be fun, but it was unfortunate that he was drunk. She would rather fight him when he was at full strength, however, the entertainment he was providing was enough to vent out her frustrations.

Shifting on her feet, she spun, dropping her leg and swept his feet out from under him. He fell backwards as Blake rushed forward to take advantage of his broken guard. However, he let his momentum carry him, rolling backwards as Blake's sword swiped harmlessly at thin air above where she thought he would have stood up. Qrow smirked, kicking the side of her sword hand, forcing her to lose her grip and sending the sword flying until it impaled itself in the pavement a few meters away. Before she even had the chance to recover her weapon, the man was already dashing towards her. She raised her arms to block the oncoming attack, only to have him fool her into defending her front, and instead, appeared behind her.

With a swing of his overly large sword, it collided with Blake's body at full force. Her aura took a massive hit as she flew across the street and crashed through the window to a local shop. She managed to push herself up and brush off the slight pain that was throbbing in her lower back. She growled and jumped out of the store, while her aura shimmered violently. The direct hit and the impact of her landing had taken a fair chunk of her aura. She still had more than enough left to deal with this man though. She had faith in herself to defeat him, even without her weapon.

"I'm going to _enjoy_ rearranging your face, old man," Blake growled, as she cracked her knuckles. She strolled across the street to where Qrow stood, clutching his weapon with a confident smirk on his face. Taiyang merely sighed once again from the sidelines as he watched the two stood-off in an almost menacing fashion. If this girl was as fast as Ruby was when it came to hand-to-hand combat, Qrow would be in trouble. That girl was practically impossible to hit with any weapon. Summer's arrows, Qrow's sword, and scythe combo couldn't even _touch_ his youngest niece. She valued speed overall, while Yang favored raw power. He wondered how this girl would fight.

"Oh…" Qrow replied with sarcastic fear. "How terrifying."

The double traited faunus dashed forwards, the veteran huntsmen mirroring her actions. Before Blake could close the distance, Qrow smirked as he slashed with his sword, the giant greatsword cleaved through her body. His eyes widened when he felt no resistance, her body split in half and fizzled out of existence. The event completely stunned him, but it was short-lived as Blake appeared behind him, and kicked him in the back of the neck.

The male Branwen spun and blocked a strike from Blake. With a growl, he lifted one of his legs and kicked the girl in the stomach. On contact, she was sent flying, but her airborne form faded away, and the next thing Qrow knew was the girl taking out his legs in one swift motion. She was disappearing and reappearing in places that didn't seem possible. It was like she was turning invisible and replacing herself with a doppelganger, only to have it fade away upon physical contact.

" _Her semblance?_ " the man idly wondered as another attack forced him to retreat backwards.

Blake flashed forwards with blinding speed, something Qrow had managed to anticipate. He blocked and parried every punch or kick she threw his way. Each time he used his weapon to deflect her attacks, he could hear the sound of his blade taking vicious punishment from this girl's bare hands. His arms started to hurt from holding the weapon so tightly. The girl didn't even look that tired with all the energy she was exerting. The longer the engagement went on, the faster she was getting. After a few moments of being stuck on the defense, Qrow jumped back and brought his sword forward. Blake was determined not to be pushed back on the defensive.

The two shot towards one another. Qrow brought his sword down on his opponent, only to have Blake stop dead in her tracks. In the blink of an eye, she lifted her left leg, turning her body on its side and let the sword collide with the bottom of her foot. The sheer flexibility to pull off such a defensive move had the huntsman utterly stunned.

A feat like that would make any gymnast jealous!

Qrow was so dumbfounded he didn't even notice that Blake had pushed the attack to the side, twisting her body in the process and slamming her opposite foot into the man's face. She dropped into a roll before springing to her feet, ready to continue.

Qrow groaned when he landed, skidding across the pavement. Before he even knew it, Blake was next to his downed form. Taiyang's eyes widened as the girl knocked his partner into unconsciousness with a single light kick to the man's head. She growled and muttered something under her breath as she walked over and pulled her sword out of the ground. In a swift motion, she reattached the sword to her back and turned to Taiyang with an annoyed expression on her face.

"You want some too, Blondie?" she queried. Taiyang shook his head slowly. Not that he wasn't confident he could take this girl, but more because he wasn't in the mood for a fight. Not after Qrow got his ass handed to him on a silver platter. Granted, he was drunk, and he always fought worse when intoxicated.

"No thanks. My friend dug his own grave given how rude he was in the first place," the sandy blonde responded with a friendly smile. Blake sighed as she relaxed a little. She turned to look at Qrow's unconscious form with a little bit of disdain.

"He always like this? Drunk and looking to pick fights?"

"Sometimes. Surprisingly he fights better when he's sober. Not really shocked you kicked his ass when he's half wasted. My youngest niece can practically beat him in her sleep when he's drunk," he retorted, walking over to his unconscious partner. He knew from watching the fight that neither of them were fighting seriously. Qrow deserved the beating he had gotten, and just from the way Blake fought, Taiyang knew she wasn't trying to permanently injure him.

She was clearly frustrated with his rudeness and was looking to teach him a lesson.

"He was holding back," Blake replied, sounding disappointed. Taiyang chuckled as he picked Qrow up and slung him over his shoulder. The man took out his scroll with his other hand and quickly sent a message to someone Blake couldn't see. Pocketing his scroll he gave her a friendly smile, while she just crossed her arms. "I don't like it when people hold back against me."

"Yeah well, Qrow doesn't take many fights seriously. He also doesn't like hurting girls, especially ones your age. You may be strong, but trust me, he never takes fights seriously. Not even when he's training his nieces. He always goes easy, and you can take it from me, they hate it as well," he chuckled as a crimson portal appeared behind the man. Blake's eyes widened as the man waved to her. "Thanks for not crippling him. He may be an idiot, but he's still my friend. Take care, and sorry for causing you so much trouble!" he finished, turning and walking into the portal. In mere moments, he disappeared from the street, along with the man on his shoulder. Blake blinked, and then blinked again, making sure she wasn't just imagining what had just happened.

"I beat him, yet he wasn't even taking the fight seriously?" Blake mumbled absently as she walked back to her dropped shopping bags. She picked them up and exhaled. " _What kind of huntsman plays around when they are obviously fighting a serious battle?_ "

Blake couldn't understand it, but she didn't dwell on those thoughts. She had bigger things to think about.

Beacon Academy's new semester started in just over two weeks! She had to prepare for a new chapter in her life. She wasn't sure if she was ready or not, but she would make sure she would make the most of it.

After all, she was strong, and her pride would never allow her to fall to the weaknesses that plagued her as a child.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **So that's Blake's backstory! Nothing really that amazing or shockingly different like Weiss's. Honestly, all you guys loved chapter two so much I am kind of terrified that I won't be able to live up to the quality of that chapter! Oh well, I'll have to try my hardest in that case.**

 **So the differences here are pretty obvious. Blake's much more prideful and aggressive than her canon-self. She never joins the White Fang and meets Adam, instead, she stays with her parents and sort of trains on her own. She views making friends as pointless and won't go out of her way to try due to her traumas as a child. While Weiss will be a lot timider when it comes to people, Blake will be very aggressive and pushy. Much like Vegeta.  
**

 **Her love for fighting draws her towards choosing the huntress life-style and after narrowing down her options, she chooses Beacon Academy.**

 **Some of you might not agree with the fight with Qrow. I'd like to remind you that he's quite drunk, and Blake is leagues faster, stronger and an overall better fighter than she was in canon.**

 **This chapter should easily state where I stand with the concept of semblances in this story. Yes, Blake has her original semblance, and yes the others will also have their semblances. This was a topic for** _ **heavy**_ **debate with my editors and beta readers as we struggled to find a balance for them because they seemed far too overpowered with their eventual access to Super Saiyan. However, I couldn't convince myself to strip them of their canon abilities because that's like taking away part of what makes them… well,** _ **them**_ **.**

 **I will state though, that just because they'll be able to use their canon semblances, doesn't mean they'll actually** _ **have**_ **them going into Volume one. Yang and Weiss specifically won't learn of their canon semblances for a while, the former having to learn it through blood sweat and tears, while the other struggles to have the mental fortitude to even use it.**

 **Anyway, that's enough rambling for now. The next chapter will be a joint chapter of both Ruby and Yang's backstory seeing as they were practically raised together, in similar environments. Both of them have the least amount of changes compared to Weiss and Blake.**

 **Okay, that's it for now. See you guys in the next chapter.**

 **Ciao!**


	4. Red and Ruthless

**A/N:**

 **So I have some explaining to do. I know it has been awhile since my last update and considering this is still an introductory chapter, it was long overdue for release a long time ago. There are a number of factors, most of which I explained on my profile for anyone curious enough to check it. Life took priority, and I had to put fanfiction aside for a while.  
**

 **I recently, over the last month got a full-time job, which now has reverted to a part-time job since I've started back at university. This has opened my time a bit more, while also restricting it further. Wow, contradictions much? Haha, what I mean by that is, I'm not working a 9-5 job every day of the week and coming home, to exhausted to write. I have days where I'm able to write easily.  
**

 **Secondly, my motivation concerning RWBY. It's no secret that Volume 5 was rather disappointing and I'm not going to mince my words when I say that it was lackluster and overall unfulfilling as a volume. From its pacing to god-awful execution, even by fanfiction standards, was ghastly. I still love RWBY, but I've come to terms with the fact that Rooster Teeth is taking the show to a place I'm not really sure I'm on board with.**

 **That's not to say I completely hated everything about Volume 5, just that the cons far outweighed the pros. There are a few aspects here and there that I liked, but they were vastly in the minority.**

 **With that being said, don't be surprised when I blatantly ignore aspects of canon that were introduced past volume three. I'm looking to craft my own version of RWBY in this story, while still keeping it recognizable, fun and entertaining. I hope you guys give me the chance to do so.  
**

 **I think that's all I really need to say here. Hope you guys enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

 _Chapter Four: Red and Ruthless_

"She's… she's leaving."

The voice of the small Kai was barely above a whisper, but it brought the attention of the two divine beings near her. Chronoa watched through her crystal ball as Raven Branwen forsook her maternal duty, abandoning her friends, family, and her newborn child. A mixture of disbelief and sadness fell upon the Supreme Kai's features, the guilt of her actions taking full effect on her mind. She had been right all along.

Raven hadn't wanted a child, and she was clearly looking for an opportunity to escape from the responsibilities it held. A responsibility Chronoa had forced upon her.

The woman shapeshifted into her bird form and flew away into the night while no one was aware, leaving her newborn child with Summer Rose and Taiyang Xiao Long. Luna, having noticed the Kai's downtrodden mood and heard her whisper, casually strolled over and glanced at the crystal ball. A look of surprise crossed her face, Universe Thirteen's angel did not predict this to happen. Such a strange action for a woman so strong to run from a simple commitment.

"Oh my… this is quite troublesome indeed," Luna stated, her tone rather puzzled. Mortals were such interesting subjects. They always seemed to surprise divine beings when they thought they had seen it all. While abandonment wasn't an uncommon action, she hadn't been expecting Raven to be the kind of person to run. A brief glance at Solaris told the angel that he wasn't exactly interested in what was happening. However, it was her job to ensure he was up to date on the survival of Universe Thirteen, and so far, things weren't quite playing out how they had predicted.

"My lord, may I borrow you for a few moments? There is something you might want to see. This development is quite troubling."

As he got up from his chair, Solaris grumbled about being interrupted. Strolling over, a look of irritation crossed his face. His time, while seemingly unlimited, was precious to him. Chronoa had learned a few times that disturbing Solaris while he was busy could have the possibility of ending poorly, especially when she tried to demand things from him. He was a God with very little patience and did not take kindly to being ordered around by those he deemed lower than him.

"What is it now? Are the Majins causing problems again? I've warned them about interfering with other worlds. So help me… if I find out they are…" Solaris trailed off, pausing as his gaze zeroed in on the crystal ball to see a black raven flying across the darkened forests of Remnant. "What am I looking at? Watching birds fly now are we Chronoa? Here I thought you were actually starting to get better at your job," the God mocked lazily. The tiny pink Kai whirled around and gave Solaris the most menacing glare she could muster.

"That's Raven Branwen you jerk! She's abandoned her daughter! This is horrible!" Chronoa cried, clearly distressed over the situation. Solaris merely raised his eyes at this new information, although, he didn't look nearly as concerned as Luna or his Supreme Kai. He took another look at the crystal ball and narrowed his eyes at the woman's bird form. So, this was supposed to be one of the mothers of the four Saiyan children?

"How can a mother just abandon her child like that? She'll grow up with resentment issues! There are so many variables that could stunt her growth as a person! She needs her mother!" Chronoa continued, her mind conjuring up all the possible scenarios that could happen in the foreseeable future.

"Why is that an issue?" Solaris countered, a cold edge to his voice. "As long as she grows up and becomes strong enough to raise our mortal average, there shouldn't be a problem. You're fussing over nothing," the God brushed off. Luna merely sighed to herself while Chronoa huffed in annoyance. Sometimes she couldn't believe how cold and uncaring he was. Even some of the other Gods of Destruction had some kind of sympathy for the mortals in their domain.

"Doesn't surprise me that you wouldn't understand," Chronoa chided, drawing Solaris's attention. His features darkened dangerously as she mustered her courage to speak out against her God of Destruction. "With how uncaring you are, you wouldn't know compassion even if it hit you square in the face!"

"That's enough," Luna cut in, just as Solaris's purple aura started to shimmer around his body. As quickly as it came, it disappeared, leaving a hint of animosity in the air. "Let's not have such a childish spat now. My lord, what Chronoa is trying to say is that Raven is a strong capable warrior that could help propel her Saiyan child's potential forward, as well as her own. She is an extraordinarily talented huntress that could grow to be much stronger in the future with the aid of her daughter, and her partner's daughter. Abandoning her child ensures that none of this will come to pass," Luna explained. Chronoa childishly crossed her arms, pouting.

"I was thinking more about the emotional toll it would have on the child, but I guess that's true as well," the Kai added, clearly unhappy with the situation. Having learned this new information, Solaris returned his gaze towards the crystal ball, a slight scowl crossing his face. While he despised getting involved with such meaningless events that shouldn't have anything to do with him, the thought of these Saiyan children growing up and not fulfilling what they were created for disgusted him.

Besides, there was one thing above all else that he hated with a passion.

 **Cowardice**.

After a few moments of silence, Solaris finally voiced his thoughts.

"Do we know why she is running?"

"Well," Luna hummed as she tapped her staff. An image of an outlaw camp appeared in a hologram above her staff. It was something they had looked at previously when Luna had been investigating the backgrounds of all four women bearing the Saiyan children. Apparently, Raven had come from some kind of Bandit camp on the outskirts of Mistral and had been sent to a Huntsmen Academy along with her brother. Solaris didn't care for the reasons, just that it happened. It seemed she was retreating back to her camp, no doubt fleeing from her responsibilities. "It seems she is heading back to her previous life, that of an outlaw. What a shame…"

"So she's running because she's afraid…"

"I'm not really sure why she is running, just that she left her daughter behind. It doesn't look like she has any intention to return," Chronoa added. Solaris's mood darkened. He turned away from the crystal ball and walked away. A purple aura shimmered around him, his anger rolling off him in spades. It sent chills down Chronoa's spine to see her God of Destruction utilize his destruction energy in such an intimidating fashion.

"Let's go, Luna. I'm going to give her some motivation to raise her daughter."

"Right away, My Lord."

Chronoa couldn't help but swallow in trepidation, her imagination fearing what he was going to do.

=/=

* * *

=/=

The island of Patch was home to many families.

It was a small community of people spread throughout the small spot of land, and while Grimm threats were few and far between, it was practically paradise. Huntsmen and huntresses of all ages had taken up residence on the small island and had made it their home. Even some of the retired huntsmen who had made it to their old age had come here to get away from the troublesome world of Remnant. Being so far away from all of the Kingdoms allowed them to live rather easily.

This was also true for two young girls in particular. Yang Branwen and Ruby Rose, two aspiring huntresses with the most talent anyone had ever seen in youth. Both born faunus of two legendary huntresses of their time, Summer Rose, and Raven Branwen. Those two practically led team STRQ and had been among the best to ever graduate from Beacon Academy. Any mission they were sent on, they completed without a slither of difficulty. Strength, power, speed and unparalleled teamwork made team STRQ one of the most dangerous teams of huntsmen to ever walk the face of Remnant.

It came as no surprise that both Ruby and Yang shared their parent's talent for combat. In fact, to those who had seen the girls fight, they dared to think that the children might be showing enough promise of surpassing their elders! They truly were prodigies of their generation, and as they grew up, it became more apparent that their future would send them down the path of becoming huntresses just like their mothers. However, there was one lingering question on everyone's minds.

Who was the father of these two girls?

They both shared a similar faunus trait, a brown monkey's tail. While this was not anything to freak out about, the father figure in their life was seemingly absent from the eyes of the community. No one had dared to ask the question, seeing as both older females were tight-lipped on the subject of who the father was. People had suspected that it was either Taiyang Xiao Long, or Qrow Branwen, but it was quickly pushed aside when the community realized that neither of those two males had any kind of faunus trait. Whoever the father was, they were doing an excellent job in keeping him a secret from the community.

Eventually, the citizens of Patch decided that it wasn't any of their business. The topic would come up in idle chat but was never discussed further than small talk.

It had been a few years into the children's childhoods, but Taiyang Xiao Long eventually assumed the role of a stepfather for both the children, while Qrow remained a distant uncle to the two girls. People were uncertain as to how this worked, but the two mothers seemed to have had a mutual agreement about something no one else was aware of.

Despite this fact, Raven and Summer had raised their children on different parts of Patch, seeing as team STRQ had individual homes throughout the island. Investments had been made from their extremely successful huntsmen careers. It came as no surprise when the team leader had bought a wealthy luxury home out on the coastline of Patch, in a small forest. The white cloaked huntress did like her privacy after all, and the only people seen visiting that area were her teammates and any unfortunate Grimm that happened to stumble into that area. The people of Patch had never thought it possible to actually feel _bad_ for Grimm.

Grimm who found themselves in the area became target practice or training dummies. Especially when Summer's daughter was involved. Said girl loved to fight, and used every excuse she could to train. It was her favorite pastime, and it was how she made fast friends with her half-sister, Yang Branwen. Both of them had an insatiable passion for fighting, and whenever the two saw each other, it would take both Raven and Summer, to get the two girls to quit sparring after countless hours. Despite the fact that Yang almost always won, Ruby still kept trying to get stronger.

By no means were these wins easy for Yang.

Ruby's sheer speed and power would down the taller girl if it wasn't for her incredible durability. Yang was a tank and could take an impossible amount of abuse in battle. Ruby was less durable and more vulnerable to heavy attacks while Yang was slower, and dished out more devastating blows. Ruby found that she would win more often when she trained with her mother and Qrow, both of them having a significant amount of trouble in Ruby's later years.

"Come on mom! You can go faster than that!" Ruby called out with glee as she sped past the woman in a white cloak.

Ruby had gone so fast it had blown off the woman's hood, revealing a much older looking version of Ruby. While Ruby's hair was choppy black with red tips, and only went down as far as her shoulders, Summer's fell all the way down her back, and the red in her hair was much more defined and prominent. Both mother and daughter sported bright, gleaming silver eyes, a unique trait among the people of Remnant.

"Don't pester me you little minx!" Summer laughed as she notched an arrow, firing it in the space of a second. The arrow hit one of Ruby's ankles, knocking off a small chunk of Ruby's aura and throwing her off balance. Ruby tumbled to the ground face first, ending up with a mouthful of dirt. She rolled forward until she came to a stop on her back. She groaned and quickly pushed herself up, spitting out dirt, a sour look forming on her face. "See what happens when you get cocky? You make mistakes! You haven't surpassed me just yet, my little Rosebud," the mother teased with a gentle coo.

Since Ruby and Yang had entered Signal Academy, they had grown overconfident.

They outclassed their peers in every field barring academics. Grimm studies and other classes that required scholarly skills were below mediocre at best, and that was only because they found those classes to be particularly boring. Even when Taiyang and Qrow were teaching them, it didn't stop Ruby from learning to draw with her tail, while Yang just fell asleep. The two greatest fighters in the entire junior Academy, were two of the biggest _slackers_ when it came to anything other than physical activity.

"Ha!" Ruby exclaimed, as she pulled out Crescent Rose and used her incredible upper body strength to hurl it towards her mother. The older Rose had been completely caught off guard as the large scythe flew past her. The woman grunted as she returned her focus to her daughter, who was almost upon her, taking advantage of the distraction to get in up close and personal. Summer was no close quarters fighter, which was why she relied heavily on outpacing her opponent and maintaining a distance from them. Summer had a lot of trouble doing that with Ruby, who seemed to mix and match her styles at both long, medium and close range. "I got you now, Mom!"

A flash of Summer's silver eyes stopped Ruby in her tracks. The young silver eyed girl yelped when her muscles locked up and her body shut down into a paralyzed state. She groaned as she once again face planted into the earth. Summer coughed and sighed as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. Using her powers like that seriously drained her, and it never seemed to keep Ruby down for long. Ruby tried to blow her shoulder-length hair out of her eyes in a fit of frustration, but it seemed she didn't have the energy to do so.

The downsides of letting Yang give her advice on what to do with her hair. Having slightly long hair grew on her though, as much as it did annoy her to maintain. She had no idea how Aunt Raven and Yang handled their mountains of charcoal black hair.

"What have I told you about yelling when you're about to attack? You give your opponent time to anticipate your moves and counter!" Summer scolded. Ruby moaned from her frozen position on the ground. "Seriously, this is training Ruby, not a comic book. Shouting when you're about to attack is indicative of your motive to engage."

"But its soooo cool!" Ruby whined. Summer merely rolled her eyes.

"It's not cool when you lose is it?"

"It works on uncle Qrow…"

"Only because he's an idiot and he lets you win when you do that," Summer replied sweetly. She bent down and pulled Ruby's head into her hands, and gave her cheeks a little pinch. Ruby squealed from her mother's incessant taunting. Cheek pinching attacks were the worst! Especially when she couldn't defend against her mother's cheap eye trick. She was learning to control her own silver eyes but was finding it incredibly difficult to find the correct trigger to use them.

"Stop cheating!" Ruby accused childishly. Summer pouted and pinched Ruby's cheeks harder. Finally, Ruby felt her muscles relax and managed to get off her first attack against her mother from the position she was currently stuck in.

"OUCH!" Summer recoiled, shaking her hand in clear pain. "You bit me!"

Ruby took this moment to push herself up and dive towards Summer. The smaller girl tackled into her mother full force. Summer yelped as Ruby laughed with glee, the two tumbling over each other until they came to a stop with Ruby on top. Summer laughed and raised her hands in surrender from her helpless position. Ruby just laughed and threw her arms around her mother's neck, the two embracing each other in a loving hug. Summer could accept the loss this time, only because Ruby had been trying to employ different strategies to winning a fight. She wasn't thrilled that her daughter had bitten her, but it was still adapting and overcoming a losing fight. It had already been established that she was excellent at hand-to-hand combat and that she could beat Summer at it any day of the week.

"I win!"

"Yes, yes. I know," Summer chuckled as she pushed Ruby off and stood up, helping Ruby in the process. There was a sparkle in the younger Rose's eye, and that gave Summer a clear indication on what Ruby wanted now. A warm smile graced her face as she placed a hand on her chin in mock thought. "How many cookies do I have to make again?"

"Fifty!" Ruby informed immediately, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Summer rolled her eyes, her daughter's monstrous appetite had forced her to accommodate the amount of food she made. She was surprised Ruby was as fit and toned as she was with all the sugar she inhaled on a weekly basis. Summer made sure she had a healthy balance of other foods, but it seemed she could never have enough of her homemade cookies!

"Isn't Yang coming over soon?"

"Oh," Ruby stopped as she took a moment to ponder her answer. "Until we run out of ingredients?"

"That sounds about right," Summer laughed. Yang was a bigger girl than Ruby was, despite being the same age. Yang tended to eat more than Ruby did, and the charcoal haired teen seemed to absolutely love Summer's baking as much as Ruby did! As the mother and daughter duo laughed, a red portal opened up behind Summer, drawing the attention of the two females. As they turned, a figure launched out of the portal and into the air. Spinning, the crimson-eyed teen thundered towards her sibling.

"Think fast!"

The audible sound of Yang's boot colliding with Ruby's face forced Summer to cringe. Ruby's face practically warped around Yang's boot, and while any mother would be concerned about the damage that would have been inflicted, the older Rose wasn't nearly as worried as most parents should have been. History had easily taught her that Ruby's head was practically indestructible and that any trauma she received was practically shaken off in a matter of seconds. Ruby was sent flying from the force of the impact, tumbling across the Rose family's front lawn.

Summer sighed heavily as Yang landed and fist pumped, congratulating herself on a successful hit. As the older woman turned, she saw a much older looking version of Yang walk through the portal looking uninterested. Raven Branwen crossed her arms as she slightly tilted her head to the side to observe Ruby's prone form. Rolling her eyes, a scoff escaped her lips.

"I see Ruby hasn't quite grasped the concept of dodging such telegraphed attacks. Qrow and those comic books she reads must be rubbing off on her," Raven reported in a rather mocking tone. Summer chuckled slightly, knowing Raven was talking loud enough for the youngest Rose to hear. "Looks like she still has a bit to go before she catches up to Yang," the female Branwen finished with a slight smirk. Ruby groaned as Yang started laughing.

"As if!" Yang exclaimed, puffing out her chest. "I have Rubes beat in every department! The day she surpasses me is the day Hell freezes over!"

"That's not fair! You can't just suddenly attack me like that! I wasn't ready!" Ruby denied vehemently, jumping to her feet and rubbing off the red mark that painted her nose red. A foul scowl crossed her features as she gazed at her half-sister. "Besides, it's not like the gap is that wide! We are practically equals! I've beaten you before, you just happen to be a few wins ahead of me! I'm sure I'll win our next match," the rosette challenged. The crimson eyed teen smirked, her entire body itching at the prospect of battle. The very air around her started to shimmer, heat waves rolling off her body in spades.

"Is that so? Keen to put that to the test, Sis?"

"You're not that much better than me!"

"Well, come on then! Let's fight!"

Not even five minutes had passed since, and the half-sisters were already at each other's throats, tearing up the forestry around the house and leaving craters in the ground each time their impossible strength collided with each other. Summer and Raven watched from afar, admiring how far their own daughters had come since they had learned how to walk. Their time at Signal had only reinforced their love for fighting. The idea that they would be leading a lifestyle that allowed them to pursue the thing they loved doing the most, and ultimately using it to help people was exhilarating.

"Incredible how they have almost surpassed us in every way, and they haven't even started Beacon yet," Summer mused as she lead Raven to a shaded spot next to her house.

The two took a seat and watched their daughters duke it out in front of them, like they were born warriors. Ruby's slim figure pushing against Yang's bulky, powerful form. Two very different fighting styles battling it out for supremacy. In reality, the two were completely equal in strength, and the only reason Yang was able to win against Ruby was her incredible endurance. She could take an absurd amount of punishment and dish it back just as easily.

Ruby often tired herself out before Yang would fall.

"It's like they were born to fight," Raven mused, her voice as distant as it had ever been. "I still can't wrap my head around the fact that _I_ _struggle_ against my own daughter. Sometimes I even have to resort to using Spring's power just to _try_ and last against her. It's absurd… they're just _kids_..." Raven practically hissed. Summer merely smirked, rolling her eyes at Raven's prideful attitude. She was stubborn, and obsessed with strength. There was a reason she was the strongest on their team.

"Well, you know what they say. The next generation is always destined to surpass the previous."

"I don't believe in destiny," Raven replied hotly. "Nothing happens without _reason_."

A gentle, quiet sigh escaped Summer's lips as her best friend intensely watched their daughters' spar. Raven hadn't been the same since she had returned from her brief little outing just after Yang had been born. She and the rest of her team had assumed Raven had run away, to escape from her responsibility from raising Yang. There had been multiple instances during her pregnancy where the woman had expressed discontent with raising a child while they were all so young. However, as time went by, she became more comfortable with the idea.

Only to vanish a week after Yang's birth, then to return a day later looking like she'd been dragged through Hell and back. Raven had kept quiet about the details, but apparently, her 'tribe' as she liked to call it, had been destroyed by some otherworldly force. None of them really believed her, knowing there had to be some kind of delusion she was suffering from. Qrow had indeed confirmed that the Branwen tribe, the people who had raised the siblings, had indeed been wiped out. A large crater that Raven claimed to once be their main campsite was all that remained.

Raven had changed, and Summer could never tell if it was for the better, or worse.

"I didn't come by for idle chatter, Summer," Raven stood up. "I came to drop Yang off. I'm going out again. I'll be back tomorrow night," the woman finished. The moment she did so, Summer once again sighed, but this time with aggravation evident in her expression.

"You can't keep doing this Raven. You won't find anything. This… _God_ , you keep speaking of! He isn't real. Your tribe… it could have easily been Salem. If something like what you are describing is real, I'm sure we'd know about it. Ozpin would definitely-"

"I don't want to hear what that damned old man knows, Summer!" Raven shot back violently, her white cloaked teammate stunned into silence. "That man has lied to us more times than I can count. It's astounding you still place so much trust in him. I'd sooner trust a Grimm than-" the older Branwen cut herself off as Summer's gaze hardened. It was no secret, their team had suffered many trials and tribulations over the years, and in some instances, Ozpin wasn't much help in that regard. Especially with his darkest secrets being revealed to them. Raven couldn't find it in herself to trust a man with a shadow larger than the sun could cast.

"Professor Ozpin is not our enemy, Raven."

"The bastard wanted to send you on a suicide mission!"

"It was hardly suicidal, I'm still here after all."

"Only because _I_ went with you, to make sure our moronic leader didn't bite off more than she could chew," Raven hissed out. Summer growled a little at the implication.

"I would have been perfectly fine on my own, Raven."

"Oh, because of your magical, all-powerful silver eyes," Raven retorted sarcastically. The white cloaked female had to restrain herself from lashing out verbally. "News flash Summer, if you didn't notice, using that power leaves you vulnerable!" the charcoal haired woman continued. Summer nervously gazed back out to Ruby and Yang, who still hadn't taken notice of their slightly heated conversation. The two faunus sisters had completely lost themselves in battle. Nothing could distract those two whilst they were fighting.

"All I was trying to say was to put the past behind you…" Summer trailed off weakly. Raven glared at her, the woman's crimson orbs burning holes into Summer's silver ones. "You're obsessed, and I know Yang has taken notice. We are all worried that you're not going to come back one day… and I'm not sure what we'll do then. I don't even want to think about what Yang will do," the older Rose finished. Raven's expression lightened a bit at that. The female Branwen spared a glance at her daughter, who was currently in a mercy-lock with Ruby.

"You weren't there Summer… your opinion would change if the things you used to love and cherish burned all around you. The tribe raised Qrow and I, and we promised to return. I couldn't stop what happened even if I had known it was coming..."

 _The light._

 _The fire._

 _The smoke._

 _The death._

 _It had all happened in an_ _ **instant**_ _. The words carried by the wind, an echoed roar before her world had been flipped on its head._

" _ **Destroy!"**_

"I'll never forget what I saw. Lying in that crater of smoke and ash, looking around to see if anyone of my people had survived. I had only been there a day… I was supposed to lead them," Raven paused slightly, her visage twisted into something akin to fear. A cold sweat formed on Raven's forehead as she shakily raised her arm to wipe it away.

"I saw him. A man… no older than us."

 _Through her blurred eyes, a heavily injured Raven saw what looked to be a figure. A young man, dressed in the strangest attire she had ever seen. His figure seemed to portray him in his early twenties, just like her. However, when her eyes met his, she could tell he far exceeded her where age was concerned. His molten golden eyes screamed of hundreds of years worth of lives. Just like Ozpin's had._

" _ **A pity these people had to die because of your cowardice. Ensure this doesn't happen again, mortal.**_ _"_

Raven's visage had shockingly paled rather quickly as she recalled the memories.

The overwhelming pressure just by being in that person's presence. It made her sweat and brought about fear she didn't even know was possible to possess. It was like her instincts demanded she submit to the God in her presence. All while Summer looked on with concern in her eyes, Raven nervously clenched her fingers as the two sat on the porch of the older Rose's home.

"I need my answers Summer. I don't expect you to understand," Raven murmured, her voice just loud enough for Summer to register them. The white cloaked female ran a tired hand through her hair, still exhausted from sparring with her daughter. She didn't exactly know how to respond to these short stories that Raven seemed to conjure up. It wasn't that she didn't believe her friend. No, far from it. Something definitely happened, but to believe that a God had come down and wiped Raven's tribe off the face of the planet, while purposely leaving her alive was a little far-fetched. Nothing added up to Summer, and thus, she couldn't quite bring herself to believe Raven's tale.

"I'm just asking you to think about how this is affecting your daughter, Raven. I don't want Yang to think that her mother is constantly leaving to go out on errands, only to find that she might never come back. As much as you might deny it, Yang takes after you a lot, looking up to you as a role model. She gets her bravery and strength from you," Summer ranted lightly, gazing towards the two girls fighting. It was much less fighting now, and more just playing around. The laughter and excitement the two had in each other's presence brought joy to the older Rose's heart. Raven, on the other hand, didn't seem to share the sentiment.

"She's nothing like me Summer. We may be physically similar, but her personality is nothing like mine. I blame Taiyang and Qrow for their foolishness," Raven mused, forcing Summer to crack a smile.

"I wouldn't say that's a bad thing. We all know how you can be. Sometimes you can overdo things a little too much."

"Yang does that too."

"To a lesser degree. She has a surprising amount of restraint," Summer argued. Raven merely rolled her eyes.

"You're forgetting her temper tantrums," the female Branwen reminded. Summer groaned in embarrassment. Yang did have a tendency to outshine her mother in brutality when angered, but other than that, she was mostly restrained and level-headed. Compared to her half-sister, Ruby was much more carefree and joyful, living life as if it were a game. Summer wasn't quite sure how to get Ruby out of that mindset considering she could get hurt, or underestimate her opponent, but so far she hadn't really come across anything that could really push her to that level of desperation. Not even Grimm.

The monsters that plagued humanity were nothing but playthings for the young teen.

Summer definitely didn't have the heart to teach Ruby the hard way. She could only hope she learned while she attended Beacon.

"Anyway," Raven stated, standing up. "I will be heading off. I'll see you soon Summer," Raven turned, opening a portal and walking through. Summer didn't even have the will to stop the woman. After Raven had left, the white-cloaked Rose sighed as she leaned back in her chair, gazing out towards the two girls sparring. Yang briefly glanced over to see her mom leave before letting out a sigh and returning her attention to Ruby. Summer did not miss it, and frowned. It seemed Yang had already caught on to her mother's obsessive quest. Maybe Raven had indulged her daughter in her delusions.

"Be safe… Raven."

=/=

* * *

=/=

Sometimes, Summer couldn't tell if Raven felt ashamed or proud that Yang was born.

Maybe she was looking too much into it, because from Taiyang and Qrow's perspective, they had both changed, taking on more motherly qualities that neither of them had before. Maybe it was the innate hormones that had triggered this change, but Raven's personality had shifted so violently, Summer had to take time to get to know her again. Raven was an entirely new person, and she couldn't tell if it was for the better. Especially with this unhealthy obsession about this 'Godly' figure she kept trying to seek out.

It couldn't have been too bad since Yang was a stable emotional, teenage girl. While a bit on the ruthless side, she still had an enjoyable and intelligent head on her shoulders. Yang was rather happy-go-lucky and free-spirited even, something she had picked up from her uncle Qrow and her step-father Taiyang. While Raven taught her all the ins and outs of being a strong individual, Taiyang had been there to ease the load for Raven. Out of the two of them, Raven was the one that needed the _most_ help.

She hadn't been ready to be a mother, and that had shown when she had tried to run away, back to her old life.

Only to return to them looking like she had been dragged through Hell and back.

Without the team, she would have crumbled, and there was no telling how Yang would have grown up.

Both Summer and Ruby remembered an isolated incident when they had arrived at Raven's house in Patch to find both her and Yang training intensely out the front. Like Summer, Raven had also bought a small house, but it was more isolated from the rest of Patch. Like Summer had predicted, it had taken Raven a very long time to settle into this new home. It didn't take Raven long to turn her new living environment into something more… akin to her tastes. Needless to say, Summer wasn't a fan of the dark and broody design of the house.

Yang didn't seem to like it either. In fact, she and Raven argued quite a bit when Yang got older. Both of them were incredibly stubborn, and that made for some very difficult moments for Qrow and Taiyang. Both males had made sure to stick around Raven for the first few years while she raised Yang, seeing as Summer had little trouble raising Ruby.

Raven had done her best to drill the ideas of strength and power into her daughter, seeing as the woman valued those characteristics above all else. However, she was astounded by Yang's obscene growth rate in those areas. The girl was barely into her teens and she was matching Raven almost perfectly in every form of combat.

Unsurprisingly, while Yang was practically a master at hand-to-hand combat, even better than the likes of her half-sister Ruby, she preferred no weapon. She fought with her strength alone. She had made that evident when she had punched holes through a couple of Ursa whilst in a bad mood.

It was like Raven had given birth to a clone of herself.

Yang had bright red eyes and dark wavy black hair that stretched down her backside. While she shared a lot of Raven's physical traits, it was surprising to see that she did not share a majority of her personality quirks. While ruthless in battle, socially Yang was an extrovert and everyone guessed it was something she picked up from Taiyang. The man's infectious positive attitude and outlook on life must have really stuck to her, seeing as he had stuck around more than Qrow had.

However, when pushed to the meterporhical edge, Yang tended to take things a little _too_ far.

Out of team STRQ, Qrow was the only one that continued doing high-risk missions at the requests of Professor Ozpin. While a teacher at Signal, Summer often had to take his place and teach his classes when he left to go on long missions. Raven had been asked to teach once, but she had vehemently refused, saying that teaching one infuriating child was hard enough. Especially when the teaching aspect came to fighting, because on multiple occasions throughout Yang's childhood, her daughter had taught Raven quite a bit about fighting as well.

"Can't say I wasn't expecting this," Summer stated with a sigh as she and Ruby walked up to the front of the house. On the large open porch, Yang and Raven stood opposite each other, covered in sweat, clothes tattered. Each of their breaths were labored as the two refused to remove their attention from the other. Blood dripped from Yang's forehead as Raven brandished her crimson sword, its cutting-edge gleaming in the sunlight. Only a week out from Beacon and already Raven was questioning why Yang was even bothering wasting her time at that Academy.

In her eyes, she was already strong and fast enough to skip past the four years of learning and training.

"Yeah! Go Yang! You can do it!" Ruby called out in excitement. Yang lost focus for half a second, Ruby's voice grating her ears. She paid the price painfully as Raven dashed forward and planted her heel into the teen's stomach. Yang was sent flying, but recovered quickly. As she landed on her feet, she pushed off and flashed towards the older Branwen. Since Raven liked to fight with a sword, that had given Yang more than enough motivation to learn to dodge and anticipate attacks. Being cut with Raven's sword was painful, even with aura to soften the blow.

"Don't lose focus!" Raven chastised as Yang weaved out of another swipe. She dropped to the ground to take out Raven's legs but the older woman anticipated the attack and flipped backwards to retreat. If Yang got too close, Raven knew she would get pummeled. Her sword gave her the extra length to attack with, giving her more reach in her devastating attacks. Yang however, had no weapon and needed to get up close and personal. Unluckily for her that Yang was a quick learner, and over the years she had gotten used to the way Raven fought.

In a burst of speed, Yang appeared behind Raven, elbowing the older woman in the back before delivering a bone-shattering spin kick to her side. Raven was sent tumbling, but managed to regain her balance and land on the balls of her feet, still skidding backwards from the momentum Yang had created through the attack. A wine-colored flash shimmered over Raven's body, a sign that her aura was starting to deplete. The older woman scowled, but it wasn't like she hadn't expected it. She had already broken Yang's aura during the training spar.

However, lack of aura didn't seem to bother her daughter. In fact, everything about her seemed to get stronger after her aura had been broken. Possibly eluding to an unawakened semblance. Raven had never been quite sure, but despite all the training she had done with Yang, she still couldn't seem to bring out her daughter's semblance.

"Don't lose sight of your opponent, Mom," Yang taunted with a grin on her face. Raven mumbled a string of curses under her breath as she straightened up and cracked her neck. Sheathing her sword, Raven turned to the front gate of their property to see Summer and Ruby standing there, the younger girl cheering as Yang started to stretch. Summer gave a light wave while Raven returned it with an exhausted smile. She had been training with Yang for hours. At least three to four hours a day, and Raven had to admit, it was doing wonders for both her stamina and strength. She was leagues stronger than when she graduated Beacon.

"Hello Summer," Raven greeted as she walked over to the gate and let the two in. Ruby immediately dashed over to Yang and tackled the girl. The two fell to the ground laughing as Summer and Raven watched with slight smiles on their faces. "I wasn't exactly expecting to see you two today. To what do I owe this surprise visit?"

"Ruby made something special for Yang. Seeing as every initiate to Beacon is required to have a weapon, Ruby took it upon herself to make one for Yang," Summer stated, gesturing to the small bag she was carrying to the side. Raven took a peek and saw there was a box in the bag, no doubt containing Yang's weapon. She could only wonder what it was, considering that Yang had been very clear that she preferred martial arts, and close quarters combat to using a weapon. "Besides, Ruby knows how Yang fights. It's not like she made her anything crazy like Crescent Rose. I still think your brother was a bit of an influence there."

"I don't know why," Raven scoffed. "My brother's weapon is impractical. His sword does the same thing as his scythe but does a better job at it. He insists that it's 'cool' though, so I won't bother arguing. From what I can see, Ruby's scythe works far better seeing as she values speed above all else in combat. It's kind of strange. You'd think that her semblance would be speed related like yours," she noted absently. Summer merely sighed as she watched Ruby launch into a conversation about the different fighting styles they had discovered since they had last talked.

"I suppose Yang hasn't found her semblance either?" Summer questioned faintly. Raven merely sighed.

"Not exactly, but I think I am getting close. I suspect for Yang, it has something to do with her aura running out," Raven replied somberly. They both knew that Ruby and Yang had been kind of upset at the fact that neither of them had discovered what their semblance was. There wasn't any ability that set them aside from anyone else. It was one of the things they were made fun of for at Signal. While they were the strongest amongst everyone, they were singled out because they hadn't discovered their semblances.

However, it was something in the back of their minds now, seeing as they appeared to be strong and capable enough without them. "Strange how they both seemingly can't tap into it."

"I guess time will tell whether they discover it or not, but I can't help but think there is something wrong. Most huntress and huntsmen discover theirs' early into their training. It's like a natural reaction. We've both pushed our children to the point where they can challenge us on even ground, and they _still_ haven't shown any signs of having a semblance. Even if it was passive, I think we would have noticed," Summer retorted quietly as she and Raven watched the two girls stand up and slowly make their way over towards them. Raven merely groaned at the thought of Yang getting an edge over her.

"Ruby's semblance could be something to do with yours," Raven commented, peaking her teammate's interest. "Perhaps it's not as flamboyant as yours is. Ruby does tend to lean her combat style to outpacing her opponent," the woman finished. Summer sighed, a small sad expression gracing her face as she turned her attention towards Ruby.

Ruby's max speed forced Summer to use her own semblance, and even then, Ruby somehow managed to find ways to keep up with her. Perhaps she hadn't been pushing her daughter as hard as she might have thought.

"You might be right, but still. I feel like they should have tapped into them by now. I'm worried that something might be wrong," Summer replied softly. Raven rolled her eyes and huffed, a look of jealousy crossing her face.

"Sometimes I even wonder if they need a semblance at all," the midnight black-haired woman mumbled sourly. "Seriously, the fact that my seventeen-year-old daughter can fight me on even ground, without a weapon, and without a semblance is kind of embarrassing. I know I'm growing stronger, but sometimes I can't help but feel like I've gotten considerably weaker."

"Mom!" Ruby called out. "Can I have the bag? Yang wants to see what I made her!"

Summer smiled warmly as she handed the bag to her daughter. The girl eagerly reached into the bag and pulled out a box before tossing it to the charcoal haired teen. Yang caught it and examined the size of the box, shaking it a little to hear what was inside, much to Ruby's dismay. While Ruby loved fighting and getting stronger, her second love in life was craftsmanship. Yang had often called her a gun nut, citing that she spent a lot of time inside studying different types of weapons and building things, something which Yang found no interest in. Ruby had built Crescent Rose in her second year at Signal, and Yang couldn't see the appeal, despite the fact that the weapon looked terrifying.

"I spent one week designing them, and two weeks making them! Try not to break these babies, okay? I know what you're like when it comes to fragile objects," Ruby explained as Yang tore into the box, causing the younger seventeen-year-old to have a small panic attack. Once Yang was done, she pulled out two bright yellow gauntlets. She eyed them carefully, looking over them and judging whether or not she should put them on. "These are Dual Ranged Shot Gauntlets. I saw a prototype design in one of the magazines I was reading. It totally fits your fighting style!"

"Awesome…" Yang drooled as she slipped them on. With a click, they extended up her forearm, a fully loaded cartridge already set by Ruby. "I'm not a nerd when it comes to ammunition like you are, so… what kind of rounds do these babies take?" she questioned once more, examining the fully unfolded form of her weapon. Yang had to admit, she was impressed with the design, and they weighed virtually nothing! Maybe it was her insane strength, but she felt like she could really do some damage with these weapons!

"They take explosive Dust rounds. Just be careful where you fire it-"

Yang thrust one of her arms forward, the gauntlets clicking and the mechanism firing. An explosive round rocketed off towards a small apple tree. On impact, the tree exploded, leaving nothing but burnt wood and ashes. Raven glared at Yang who immediately shrunk under her gaze. An honest mistake on her part, seeing as she had just fired the weapon for the first time. She was strong enough to account for the insane recoil the weapon had, obviously Ruby had been banking on that because the incredible firepower behind the weapon was jaw-dropping.

"That poor tree," Ruby frowned as she turned to Yang. "You need to be more careful! You could light your house on fire with that thing, and I'm pretty sure Aunt Raven wouldn't be very happy if you did that."

"No," Raven growled. "I wouldn't."

"See!"

"Okay, I get it!" Yang groaned dramatically. "Take care where I aim. Got it…"

"This is going to be so much fun! I can't wait to help you practice, and not to mention the kind of help we'll get at Beacon! Oh! Isn't it exciting!?"

"Sure," Yang responded casually, brushing aside Ruby's overexcitement. She had only attended Signal because Ruby did, and now she really was only going to Beacon because Ruby was. She was her best friend, and half-sister. Yang wasn't about to leave her behind, or get _left_ behind. If Ruby thought it was the best way to get stronger, then by all means, she was all for it. Raven seemed completely against enrolling her in Signal, let alone Beacon, but after enough convincing, she had managed to tear down the impossibly strong walls that Raven had put up around herself. The only person that could make Raven _melt_ was Yang, and that was a strange thing to see when anyone was around.

Even Summer thought it was out of character for her partner. She couldn't imagine Raven reading bedtime stories to Yang when she was younger, despite Raven claiming to do so.

The next few days felt like they drifted by without anyone even realizing. The days leading up to Beacon got closer, and the excitement started to grow. Ever since Ruby and Yang had graduated from Signal Academy, the former had been excited beyond all measure to move onto the next step of becoming a huntress. It was her dream to be the strongest she could possibly be… to be the hero of mankind in this world that was surrounded in darkness, hatred, and misery. She would be the light and their guiding hand, but dreams were just that, dreams. Ruby was determined to realize that dream, and along the way, Yang decided she was going to help her out.

The two had grown up together, were practically inseparable and now they were moving onto the next step in their lives. Attending Beacon Academy was going to be something they would remember for the rest of their lives. Ruby's excitement had even infected Yang the day before they were due to leave, and the charcoal haired teen had even decided to pack with Ruby. The two half-sisters were ready to face this new challenge, and their parents couldn't be more supportive. If they knew anything, it was this…

Beacon Academy was about to get a lot more lively.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **So that about does it for the introductory chapters. 40,000 words seems a little absurd to introduce the four main characters for the story, plus the two OC's. I hope you guys liked the chapter. It was a little nerve-wracking coming back after the break that I've had. Unfortunately, updates will come a bit later due to my time constraints. I hope you're all okay with this.  
**

 **So as you can see, a lot of things have changed story-wise, but with Ruby and Yang, not so much. Yes… Yang has black hair and red eyes. No Taiyang genes to give her the blonde and lilac eyes. With Goku's genes, she most definitely has black hair, but this also gives me comical moments later to when she does get blonde hair ;).  
**

 **Next chapter we finally move into Volume 1, and oh boy, I can't wait. This is going to be a fun ride. I can tell. It's been a riot to write so far.**

 **Until next time!**


	5. A Promising Future

**A/N:**

 **This story ain't dead! Not by a long shot. For those of you who don't follow This War of Mine, I recently stated that I put this story on a small hiatus due to some issues with the central storyline. I didn't like where it was going and opted to rearrange and rework some aspects.**

 **Unlike This War of Mine, when I started this story, I wasn't quite sure about the endgame, or even where an endpoint would be. Originally I was going to end with the Tournament of Power, but now I'm not so sure. As cool as it would be to see team RWBY face off against the likes of Jiren and others, I think I might opt to go for something more original. So I'll see what you guys want.  
**

 **So far, I have everything planned up until the end of Volume 3. Volume 4 and 5, and even 6 (whatever happens when it airs) probably won't happen at all. That being said, after Volume 3, how do you guys feel about Original Sagas? I have a few ideas that I'm confident I can work with. Unfortunately, they don't really involve Vegeta or Goku.  
**

 **I know you guys want to see team RWBY meet their super-powered Saiyan fathers, but that isn't going to happen for a while. I want Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang to grow as characters before I throw them at Goku and Vegeta. So it won't happen for quite some time, but don't get me wrong, it's going to happen. Please don't ask when, because I'm not going to say ;).  
**

 **Just another thing. I'm going to be playing a lot with the RWBY lore, so don't freak out if you see something that doesn't match canon or contradicts it. There is definitely a reason as to why I've changed it. If you want to know why don't be afraid to review and I'll probably (hopefully) get around to answering your questions.  
**

 **That's enough babbling, on with the chapter!**

* * *

 _Chapter Five: A Promising Future_

A pink inferno crashed through the atmosphere of Remnant.

As it descended through the clouds on a collision course toward a mountain, it veered it's trajectory and began to slow down significantly. Still falling at an accelerated rate, the flame maneuvered through the foliage and branches of a bright green forest before coming to a screeching halt just above the dense grass of the clearing. The flame dispersed to reveal a voluptuous figure sharing the same color of the flames that once danced around it. Its heels touched the surface with a feathery tap.

Looking around the strange creature with pink skin surveyed its surroundings. It let out a very feminine huff as it pushed a few strands of white silverish hair out of its blue eyes. The creature appeared female and wore clothes similar to a human. The pink skinned alien wore a black chest bind, black arm sleeves with some golden bracelets, white baggy pants, and some black and gold combat heels.

Her pale blue eyes scanned the area for any threats before looking back towards the sky to see if she was followed. With a sigh of relief, she allowed herself some space to breathe. She let herself wander the green forests she found herself in. It was strangely tranquil and allowed the alien to feel calm for the first time in what felt like an eternity. She had been running for so long. Like a coward. She couldn't fight the forces chasing her and to be quite honest, fleeing to this planet was probably her safest bet. No one would think to look for her on this backwater planet.

"I'm… free," the words tasted like sweet candy, ironic for someone like her. Her pink tail flicked about behind her in a rather excited manner. "I'm finally-" she stopped herself when she felt a presence. Spinning around, she extended her hand, a violet light appearing in her hand. In the space of a second, she fired it off like a canon, the light shooting through the treeline and destroying whatever seemed to be watching her. A howl of anguish erupted from the forest, causing birds to flee in terror.

In seconds, hundreds of black animal-like creatures flowed out of the treeline and rushed the pink alien. They were slow and predictable. All it took was a punch or kick from the alien caused the monsters to explode into dust and black vapor. Even being flicked by her tail caused the aggressors to fall, fading into black smoke. In less than a minute, the horde of these nightmarish animals fell to the hands of this extraterrestrial. She had barely even broken a sweat.

"Not exactly a challenge," she muttered under her breath. Without a second thought and certainly having no desire to face more of these monsters, the alien took to the sky to figure out exactly where she was. Making an effort to keep her energy suppressed she scanned the land before her. She wasn't exactly sure what she was expecting, considering this was supposedly a backwater planet with nothing of interest to invade it. She was about to take off into the horizon before she felt something poke her shoulder.

Whirling around, energy in hand and ready to kill whatever had caught her off guard, she came face to face with another humanoid-like creature, except this one was clearly intelligent.

"Hello," the male voiced in amusement. "Care to tell me what you're doing on this planet?"

"None of your business!" she snapped back. Her answer caused the man to roar with laughter, although after a few moments, he abruptly cut his laughter off and scowled at her. His sudden change in expression sent chills down her spine. How did he know she was from off-world? Did he watch her break through the atmosphere?

"I'd suggest you watch your tone, girl. Now answer the question."

"I said… mind your own-" she was cut off as a hand clamped down around her throat. Her energy dispersed out of shock. The energy she was suddenly sensing was mind-numbing. She couldn't even comprehend what was going on! She hadn't even seen him move! All she could see was his celestial golden eyes, something that instilled fear into her core. Struggling to free herself from the man's iron grip, the pink female alien thrashed around to no avail.

"You are rather bold to test the limits of my patience. I'm very well-known in administering punishment to those who disrespect myself and anyone who associates with me," he explained, tilting his head slightly as if he enjoyed the torment he was putting her through. The man's victim couldn't help but glare at him through her strained features. his impressed him somewhat. It was no small feat to withstand the might of a deity to this extent."Intriguing. Even now you still express the intent to take revenge. Perhaps you do not know who I am?"

"N-No!" she spluttered in response. The man simply smirked, releasing his grip on her. She drifted back, placing her own hand around her throat as if to soothe the throbbing pain.

"I am Solaris. God of Destruction." The pink alien raised a brow at the proclamation. The male figure growled in annoyance. "Do not test my patience further, or I will erase you from existence."

If it were even possible, all the color immediately drained from her face. The alien's mouth went dry and her body went rigid. Seeing the fear in the creature's eyes calmed him down to his normal composure. "Now. I believe it's customary in this galaxy to respond in kind once one introduces themselves."

"I-I'm… 21," the pink female spluttered.

"21? That's a number, not a name," the god scoffed with a cross of his arms.

"It was… given to me…" 21 retorted, finally catching her breath. She had to make sure she spoke with caution now. She was skeptical whether this really was the renowned God of Destruction she had heard about, but she figured life was a better alternative to doubting him. She had only ever heard rumors or legends of the being. He was the ultimate authority in their universe aside from the Kai's. He decided who lived and who died, no questions or complaints. There were stories of him wiping out entire races with the flick of his finger. He could kill with nothing but a stare… and annihilate solar systems with a single hand.

"By whom?"

"The Majins."

The God rolled his eyes.

"I swear, if I hear one more thing about that damned species…" he swore under his breath. His attention quickly turned back to the girl, looking more closely at her. His celestial golden eyes scanned her physical form briefly, causing her to feel a chill roll down her spine. "Come to think of it, you don't exactly resemble the physical characteristics of the Majins. They're small green people with an obsession for magic and science. So what exactly are you?" Solaris inquired in a curious fashion.

A clear expression of discomfort raged across her face the moment Solaris asked the question. Her eyes madly attempted to look away, but to no avail. They were locked onto his powerful golden eyes, unable to disobey nor deny them. She fell silent as memories of the truth exploded into a maelstrom inside of her mind. The agonizing truth that she had discovered before she had escaped from her home planet… if she could even call it home. She hoped she could start a new life, somehow. This planet may have been a backwater one, but at least it was away from those… mad men.

"I… am a weapon," she relented barely above a whisper.

"Well that's awfully cliche. What, do you have an ancient demon trapped inside of you?"

"What? N-No. I'm-"

"A mechanical cyborg?"

"No! I'm-!"

"A supposed dead ancient queen with the power to steal abilities and see the future?"

"NO!" 21 roared in frustration. The male scowled dangerously at her. She backpedaled slightly and responded in a calmer tone. "I was designed to kill _you_. The Majins created me because they were sick of being threatened by you... Apparently, you're the only thing stopping them from conquering the universe or something," she explained, closing her eyes fiercely while dreading what would come next. The whole idea seemed ridiculous but then again, the people who created her were beyond crazy. Power-hungry delusional geniuses hell-bent on forcing the universe to bow to their will. However, the infamous God of Destruction disallowed such a conquest and punished anyone who did so.

And she had just admitted that she was created to murder him...

"You… kill me?" Solaris raised his eyebrows at the suggestion. After a few seconds, he burst into hysterical laughter, causing the Majin Warrior to unstably float back in slight fear. Moments later, Solaris ceased his laughter, wiping a few tears of joy from his eyes. "Oh please! You're about as threatening as a blunt butter knife. If you're the best they could do then I have no reason to fret. Although, now that you've informed me, I have a good reason to wipe out half their race. It'll show them what happens when you cross a God of Destruction."

21 looked rather insulted, but hid it well. As threatening as a butter knife? She'd like to think she was powerful in her own right. She crushed most of the Majins' most powerful warriors without much difficulty, granted most of them were mind-controlled and enslaved to the people who created her. She was an amalgamation of powerful energy and magic given a physical form. Grown in some kind of test laboratory. She shuddered to think about her earlier years. Years she couldn't remember.

Perhaps that was for the best.

"That aside, I still can't have you running amok on this planet. There are some very important people here that _we_ are observing. So perhaps I should just erase you and be done with it," Solaris quipped as he raised his hand, a sphere of dark purple energy crackling to life. 21 was immediately drowned in fear as Solaris' eyes burned with cold fury. However, within moments, the purple energy in his hands vanished, the God instead opting to raise a hand to his chin in thought. "Although… perhaps I can get some use out of you."

The God turned his gaze towards her once more, this time, with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. Floating towards her, he closed the distance to until he uncomfortably close to her. The sweat dripped loosely down the back of her neck.

"I've got a proposition for you. What do you know of teaching combat?"

=/=

* * *

=/=

Today was the day she had been waiting for!

Ruby Rose was finally on her way to Beacon Academy with her sister by her side.

She couldn't have been more excited about the idea of attending Beacon Academy. Learning all the tricks and trades that huntsmen used to defeat the creatures of Grimm, and making a whole bunch of friends! Hopefully, now that they were older, the kids wouldn't look down on her and her sister for their faunus heritage! Sure, there were a lot of faunus at Signal Academy, but the other human kids weren't very understanding. Ruby was still determined to stay positive, despite Yang brushing off the human children when they were younger.

It seemed the older they grew, the more people started to become open minded about human and faunus relationships and friendships. Even on the bullhead ride towards Beacon, a lot of the human students had been very welcoming and friendly towards the two monkey faunus. This gave Ruby an overwhelming sense of excitement at the prospect of making new friends, and even finding strong rivals as a bonus!

Although, Yang was extremely doubtful in that sense, seeing as she could stand against Raven on equal ground. Ruby was hopeful, despite knowing that she could also give her mom a run for her money.

Oh well, if this was the only way she could become a huntress, then she was going to do it right! Ruby was just happy that Yang decided to come along for the ride.

"Whoa! Do you see it, Yang!?" Ruby exclaimed, pointing towards the large spire that looked over the entire campus. Beacon Tower was an incredible sight to behold, and anyone could see it from anywhere in Vale. It was most evident from the Residential district. "This is the closest we've ever been to Beacon! Isn't this exciting!?" she squealed in excitement. Yang could practically see the stars in her sister's silver eyes.

"Yeah, I see it alright," the crimson eyed girl replied. "If it didn't look imposing from Vale, it certainly does now. Look how high up it goes. Mom told me that's where Professor Ozpin's office is," Yang finished, her eyes drifting towards the top of the tower. She absently wondered why the headmaster preferred to have his office up so high.

It seemed rather impractical to be so separated from the rest of the school. Was it just because of the fact that he was a Headmaster that he got such a luxury office? It was hard to imagine all the flights of stairs he would have to climb if the elevator ever broke down.

Yang hoped there was an elevator, anyway.

Ruby was about to say something else when one of the television monitors caught her eye. Turning to get a better look at it, she saw that Vale News Network was running a piece on the White Fang and how they had increased their violent protests. Ruby's excited smile dimmed a bit when she thought about the White Fang.

Often in Signal, she and Yang, along with the other faunus children would get blamed for the violent actions the White Fang had been doing. Blamed for robberies, muggings, and other vicious crimes. Now whenever she heard about the White Fang, she couldn't help but feel a bit bitter when all they were doing was giving faunus a worse reputation than they already had.

The news segment then went on to connect these crimes to the local criminal mastermind, Roman Torchwick, who was reported to have successfully looted a popular Dust retailer a few nights ago. The man was rumored to have ties to the White Fang, which the media was now using to paint the White Fang in an even more negative light. Working with criminals to get what they wanted, it almost made Ruby sick to her stomach, something which she managed to hide very well. Despite all that, she managed to maintain a positive attitude. Yang, however, burned at the mention of the White Fang.

"Again?" Yang mumbled angrily under her breath. Ruby noticed her fingers curl, her knuckles going white in the process. "Can't those idiots see they're making things worse? Equality my ass! They just want _revenge_!" she hissed violently. Her tail began to unfurl and whip about behind her wildly. Ruby calmly placed a hand on her sister's shoulder, effectively calming her down immediately.

Yang took a breath to level her thoughts. She hated the White Fang with a passion, and couldn't see what they were fighting for. If they were really fighting for equality, why would they turn violent and lash out at those who couldn't defend themselves? It had gotten worse over the years with more extremists joining their cause.

"Don't worry, Yang. We just have to show everyone that faunus are better than that! We are training to become huntsmen after all. People should see us as heroes," Ruby suggested in a reassuring manner. Yang wasn't exactly convinced. To her, Ruby had always been rather naive when it came to the real world. She wanted to believe that there was a justifiable reason behind everything that happened, and she also wanted to believe that everyone had good in them. Raven had been quick to teach Yang otherwise.

Sometimes, people were just evil and wanted to watch the world _burn_. Ruby and Yang's opinions differed when it came to the White Fang.

Before Yang could retort, the televisions switched off, and in its place, a hologram of a woman stood. From what the two girls could gather, this woman was Glynda Goodwitch, the deputy headmistress of Beacon Academy. Summer had many interesting stories about encounters with her, and the various times' team STRQ had been reprimanded by her. Even Raven seemed to twitch a bit in fear when her name was mentioned, thus giving off the notion that they should be on their best behavior around Ms. Goodwitch.

Turns out it was a recorded message and gave an overview of Beacon Academy. Who they were, what they provided and what you, as a student were expected to do upon arrival. It was a good thing Ruby had paid attention for once because the recorded message told everyone that they needed to be in the auditorium twenty minutes after the last bullhead arrived. All new students were required to attend, and seeing as Yang had zoned out, it was up to Ruby to inform her sister.

Once the airship had landed, both sisters were the first to stroll out, aside from a poor boy who looked like he was about to release the contents of his stomach into the nearest reciprocal. He had dashed out of the ship and immediately let loose into the closest bin. Ruby and Yang snickered as they passed him. Once they had finished snickering at the misfortune of the poor boy's ailment, they finally managed to see just where they would be living for the next four years of their lives. It was an incredible sight now that they were off the ship. All around them, huntsmen and huntresses of different years were strolling about the place.

Ruby couldn't help but gawk like a nerd in paradise at some of the weapons the other students were wielding.

"Whoa!" she squealed as a couple of older huntsmen passed her. "And I thought Crescent Rose was the coolest! That guy has a collapsible staff! Oh my gosh! What's that!? They look like Warglaives from one of my favorite comic books! Yang, look! That girl has a chakram!" Ruby's eyes zipped back and forth gazing at all the different weaponry people walked by with, some of them even giving her strange looks as she had her own little nerd freak out.

Yang groaned as she slapped the back of Ruby's head, breaking the girl out of her obsessive fantasy.

"Chill out, would ya? You're making us look bad."

"Oh come on!" Ruby protested childishly. "All the weapons back at Signal were so basic! Look at all these cool ones!" she exclaimed, swinging her hand to gesture. Unfortunately, she wasn't looking where her hand went and accidentally smacked something hard. Ruby turned to see she had knocked a clipboard out of someone's hand. Upon further inspection, the victim had silver hair, a white jacket, dark blue tights and combat boots. She seemed about the same age as them, but she looked and held herself like a second-year student.

"Hey!" she snapped causing Ruby to blush in embarrassment. "Do you mind? Watch where you swing your hand!" the girl growled as she bent down and picked up her clipboard.

Flipping through the pages to check that she wasn't missing anything, she moved away before Ruby had the chance to apologize. Ruby went to call out to the girl, but her voice died her throat. She moaned sadly as her first interaction with another person at Beacon, on her first day no less, had gone just as horribly as anyone could have predicted. Yang snickered.

"Nice one, Rubes. Really best friend material right there," she mocked. Ruby's eye twitched.

"Keep talking and I'll do more than just pull your tail," the smaller girl threatened quietly. Yang merely chuckled, remembering all the times Ruby had tried pulling her tail. To be fair, they used to do it to each other all the time when they got upset with one another but after awhile, Yang stopped doing it. Ruby didn't seem to get the message and kept at it regardless, forcing Yang to wrap hers around her waist. Both their tails were extremely sensitive, Ruby's more so. Yang had tried to convince her to wrap it around her waist like she did, but the smaller girl complained that her tail cramped when she did that.

"Oh sure you-" Yang cut herself off when she noticed her scroll started to vibrate. Pulling it out she groaned, seeing the caller ID. "I'll be back in a minute, Ruby. Mom wants something."

Ruby watched as Yang answered the scroll and walked off somewhere. Raven had the ability to teleport to anyone she had created a bond with. Raven had one for everyone in her family circle, which included her. Yang must have forgotten something at home and Raven was probably calling to remind her. No doubt Yang was probably going to a spot where they could talk in private.

Raven didn't like being seen around campus, stating that she had some kind of disagreement with Ozpin and was now trying to avoid the place altogether. It had also been one of the reasons why she didn't want Yang attending Beacon.

Sighing, Ruby turned away in thought, but at the last second, her eyes caught sight of the same girl she had accidentally hit moments earlier. She was looking at the clipboard, whilst walking back towards the entrance to the tower. She looked very focused, ticking off multiple things on the paper. Ruby grinned as she vanished from her spot, appearing over next to the girl in a flash. Her incredible speed almost made the girl drop her checklist again!

"Hi again!"

"Oh, it's you again. Do you get some sort of thrill out of making people drop things? Can't you see I'm busy?" the girl rolled her eyes in slight annoyance. Ruby frowned slightly, a sad look overcoming her features.

"I just wanted to apologize…"

The silver-haired girl sighed, running a hand through her hair. Ruby noted that she looked tired, or had been missing hours of sleep due to stress. In fact, stress might have been the one thing Ruby noticed about this girl. She had bed-hair, a little messy but tied up in a nice ponytail. She wasn't wearing any makeup, not that Ruby could blame her. She hated the stuff and it always came off when she started to train. Even the huntress brands of makeup didn't work, and they were designed to work with intense activity!

"Okay look," the girl started. "Sorry for snapping at you, but I'm under a lot of stress right now. I've been running errands for Professor Ozpin, and I don't want to miss the introductory ceremony. I promised I would get all these things done before he makes his speech," the girl explained. She gestured to the pages of things she had to accomplish, making Ruby cringe slightly. "I've been up since sunrise, so if you don't mind, I need to finish up," she finished, turning away to continue on her busy schedule. It was then that Ruby noticed the weapon clipped to her side.

"Oh hey! Are you attending Beacon this year too!? I thought you were a second year, but the opening ceremony is for first years only," Ruby called out as she ran to keep pace with the girl. However, as she caught up with the girl, she noticed a glaring detail that she had completely missed. This girl had a tail! Very similar, if not identical to hers! A small hole out the back of her pants was only big enough to fit the furry brown appendage attached to her backside. "You have a tail!?"

"Why do you care?" the girl snapped back rather viciously. Ruby cringed a little, hearing a hint of pain in the girl's tone. She had no idea why pointing out the fact that she had a tail brought such a negative response. Ruby knew faunus were oppressed by a large portion of humans, but even then, a lot of faunus took pride in their unique animal-like traits. She couldn't understand why this girl was acting even more negatively than she had been before! Maybe it was because she thought Ruby was human? Her tail was kind of hard to spot from underneath her combat skirt. "You got a problem with my tail?"

"Oh! No!" Ruby denied quickly, causing the pale girl to raise her eyes. "I was just pointing it out because I also have a tail! See? Look!" Ruby lifted the back of her skirt and flaunted her appendage causing the girl's eyes to bulge out in utter shock and dismay. The girl quickly closed the distance and pushed Ruby backwards, causing the smaller girl to stumble. She took hold of Ruby's hands and pulled them around to her front, causing Ruby to yelp. It had all happened so quickly it caused Ruby a bit of confusion. "Hey! What gives? I was just trying to prove that we are-"

She was cut off before she had a chance to finish her annoyed rant.

"You moron!" the girl chastised, a quizzical expression forming on Ruby's face. "What kind of girl willingly lifts her skirt up in public!? Were you raised in a cave!? Have some modesty!" she finished with a scowl. Ruby then looked around to see a few people staring. Scratching the back of her head in moderate embarrassment, she chuckled lightly as the girl stood back. Ruby's tail then snaked out from under her skirt to give the girl some proof of her claim. When she caught sight of the tail, her eyes widened slightly.

"Sorry… I got a bit excited. I haven't met anyone else other than my sister that shares a similar faunus trait. Sure, we've seen other monkey-ish tails, but none that are quite like ours. It always seems to match their hair color, but mine is brown, see?" Ruby gestured to her tail. Ruby's company then took a look at her own, seeing the clear resemblance. They looked _exactly_ the same. Despite her silver hair, her tail was the same color and shade as Ruby's.

"So it seems. The thought never occurred to me," the girl replied, her eyes narrowing on Ruby, her interest in the girl skyrocketing. "Say… I never got your name. Who are you exactly?"

"Oh, my name is Ruby. Ruby Rose. Can I have yours?"

"No," the girl responded bluntly.

"What!? How's that fair!?" Ruby protested childishly. The girl chuckled slightly, causing Ruby's eyes to widen. This was the first time she had seen her smile! Why did it seem like this was such a special occasion!?

"I was kidding. My name is Weiss. Just… Weiss," the girl, now dubbed Weiss replied. Ruby sensed some animosity when she hesitated in saying her last name. Ruby could tell the girl was hiding it for some reason. She didn't know how she knew that, but just the look in Weiss' eyes told her there was something wrong. She wanted to ask to help out her new friend, but Weiss had already beat Ruby to the punch. "Before you ask, my family situation is complicated. I'd rather not talk about it. I don't know you very well, and I've been warned by my sister not to talk to strangers about personal issues."

"Oh," Ruby started. She felt a little bit awkward now, the excitement dying down a bit. "That makes sense I guess. Well, if you ever want to talk about stuff, I'll be around. You wouldn't happen to know where the auditorium is, would you?" Ruby asked, sensing that Weiss needed to get away. She did say she had things to do, and Ruby wouldn't be a good friend if she kept her from completing the things she needed to accomplish. Besides, if she was running errands for Professor Ozpin, they were undoubtedly important. Weiss nodded, turning and pointing to a building on the far left of the courtyard.

"It's just over there. Go through that door and take a right. It's not that hard to find," Weiss replied, a little bit disappointed in Ruby's sense of direction. "I mean, you could just follow everyone else."

"I guess you're right. Well, sorry for interrupting you. Once you're done, come find me! I'll introduce you to my sister! She's really cool, and I have no doubt in my mind you would get along great with her!" Ruby waved as she turned away from Weiss. The youngest Schnee gave the smaller girl a friendly smile before waving. It was nice to see such a friendly girl and to top it all off, they shared the same faunus trait! Weiss couldn't believe that she had run into someone that she could relate to on some level. She had spent so long avoiding people here at Beacon, out of fear and her own anxiety. To be honest, she was glad Ruby had approached her again, and while Weiss had been rather peeved at being interrupted again, Ruby revealing that she also had a tail relaxed Weiss a bit.

She didn't feel so alone anymore.

"Alright! Take care Ruby," Weiss called out. "Try not to flash your underwear to anyone along the way! You'll make a bad habit of it!" she finished with an amused grin on her face. Ruby laughed and gave Weiss one final wave before heading off towards the building. Weiss sighed, taking a look at her clipboard before moving on. She had a few things left to do and Ozpin's speech was due to start in the next fifteen minutes! Using her inhuman speed, she vanished from sight, just as a certain blonde haired boy opened his mouth to talk to her.

Jaune Arc was not having a good first day.

Ruby skipped into the auditorium and looked around in the crowd of people. It didn't take long to spot Yang out among the crowd. She quickly sped through the crowded enclosure and joined her sister. Ruby had questioned what Aunt Raven had wanted with Yang, and the taller girl had just responded saying that Raven had some parting advice to her. Something about not taking everything Ozpin says at face value. Raven had been cryptic and had given off the impression that Professor Ozpin wasn't trustworthy. Yang had taken it on board but gave it little thought. It wouldn't have been the first time Raven had been paranoid about certain things.

It started out rather bland, with Professor Goodwitch speaking to the crowd of first-year students about things that Ruby and Yang didn't know, or pay any attention to. Then Ozpin had come out and done more monologuing about wasted potential in need of direction. The longer it went on, the more frustrated Yang had gotten with the amount of time they had just spent standing there. Ruby had attempted to point out that the things being said would be good for them in the long run, but Yang had once again ignored her words. She was quite stubborn.

After the speech was finished, Ruby still had not seen Weiss appear, and she was starting to get worried. She continued to wait, watching all the students maneuver towards one of the classrooms that had been set up to be a makeshift sleeping area for the night. Initiation was tomorrow after all, and then the students would be assigned to dorm rooms, something which made Ruby more excited than she should have been. Her only fear was ending up in a room with people that she didn't like and vice versa. However, she was an outgoing person and didn't mind the idea of making friends, as long as they would give her the time of day that is.

"Come on, Ruby. Let's go. I want to get a good spot to sleep in. You know how I am when I sleep, and I don't want to be cramped next to people I don't know," Yang said, gesturing towards her sister to hurry up. Ruby looked around, a look of concern crossing her face seeing as the room was starting to empty, and she still couldn't see any sign of Weiss. The girl had looked pretty adamant to be here on time to witness Ozpin's speech, but she still couldn't see her. Was she late? She didn't seem like the kind of girl to be late.

"Can we just wait a moment? I want to see if Weiss is going to turn up."

"Weiss?" Yang questioned quizzically. "Who's Weiss?"

"That girl I accidentally hit before. I met up with her shortly after you answered your scroll call from Aunt Raven. I apologized, and you will never guess what I noticed!" Ruby replied with excitement in her eyes. Yang merely rolled her own, raising an eyebrow in the process. Seriously, was there anything that didn't get Ruby hyped for something? Her sister was practically made of sugar. "She has a tail just like we do! Brown and everything!"

"So?" Yang retorted blandly. "It's not like we haven't met other faunus before. What makes her so special?"

"Weren't you listening?" Ruby scowled, crossing her arms in annoyance. "I said she has a tail, just like _us_. How many other faunus have we met that have a monkey's tail, that isn't the same color as their hair? Everyone knows when it comes to faunus traits that have fur, it shares the same color as their hair. She has silver hair and a brown tail!"

"You're just making that up!" Yang accused. Ruby groaned in frustration, throwing her hands into the air to dramatize her feelings.

"No I'm not, and you would know this too if you ever bothered to read a book!"

"Books are boring!"

"Ruby?" A new voice broke through their argument. Ruby turned to the source of the voice and found Weiss standing at the doorway, looking a little flustered. She looked like she had run here, although there wasn't a drop of sweat on her. Her clothes were a bit dirty, indicating she had done some heavy lifting, and to support that, she also had black smudge marks on her hands, and what looked like a few burn marks. The girl didn't seem to care as she walked down to greet the two sisters. Yang noticed that Ruby had been telling the truth when she said that this girl had a tail just like them.

Yang wondered for a moment how she missed that when Weiss had walked right past them earlier.

"What are you still doing here?" the pale toned girl queried.

"Waiting for you," Ruby replied with a casual smile, causing Weiss's expression to morph into something relating to shock. "I never saw you come in, so I only assumed you had missed the speech Ozpin gave. Ms. Goodwitch told us we were going to sleep in one of the classrooms tonight, so I thought I'd stay behind to let you know. I wouldn't want you to miss out," she finished with a sweet smile. Weiss merely stared at her, while Yang just sighed, a proud smile forming on her face. Ruby was about two or three weeks younger than her, and she had a heart of gold. It was something Yang envied. She wished she could see the good in people like Ruby could.

It was one of the many things Raven had taught her growing up. Showing kindness to absolute strangers displayed weakness, and Raven was not kind when it came to those weaknesses. If it weren't for Summer, Taiyang, and Qrow, Yang would have grown up cynical and hateful towards the world like her mother tended to be.

After a few moments of silence, Weiss laughed. It was a lighthearted laugh, something that confused both Ruby and Yang. She looked genuinely happy that Ruby had done something so nice for her. The two sisters looked at each other, shrugging as to why she was so happy. Once Weiss was done laughing, Ruby gave her a questionable look, as if to silently ask her why she was laughing at something friends would do for one another. Apparently, it seemed like the word 'friend' wasn't something Weiss was familiar with.

"Sorry," the silver-haired girl started. "I shouldn't have laughed. That's very thoughtful of you, Ruby, and thank you. I was caught up helping some of the staff members with some dangerous Dust shipments from the Schnee Dust Company. It took longer than I had expected, so it seems I would have missed the speech regardless. I do appreciate what you are trying to do, but I was already informed by Ms. Goodwitch where the first years would be sleeping anyway. I've lived here for six months. I have my own room here at Beacon."

There was another moment of silence between the three girls before Yang broke the silence.

"Wait, I thought you were a first year? How do… I'm confused," Yang admitted. Ruby seemed to be in a similar mindset as her older sister. Weiss sighed and decided to give them a short breakdown of her situation.

"I have... complicated family matters, so my older sister did me a favor. She has… I want to say political ties, but that wouldn't be the right word. Anyway, she knows Ozpin, so it was decided I would stay here for the time being until the Beacon semester started. I come from Atlas," Weiss explained. Yang's eyes lit up at that. They didn't know anyone from Atlas, and they heard it was a pretty sophisticated Kingdom. Upon hearing Weiss was from Atlas, Ruby's interest was also peaked.

"Sucks to hear about your family situation," Yang commented sympathetically. "What's it like in Atlas?"

"Cold," Weiss replied, a scowl appearing on her face. Ruby and Yang grimaced at her sudden change in mood. Clearly, she didn't like Atlas at all. If it stemmed from her family issues, they could only wonder what kind of family she came from. Both sisters had noticed the SDC logo on the back of her jacket, but they assumed it was something they sold locally at Atlas. It didn't exactly scream royalty, especially with the rest of her current attire. While she did dress smartly, it wasn't exactly anything that stood out.

"I guess that's right…" Ruby trailed off. "Hey, do you want to come with us? It would be pretty cool to have another friend we can talk to. You can even sleep with us if you want!" she suggested. Weiss gave it some thought, her head turning towards Yang. The dark-haired girl was wearing a tanned brown jacket that covered only a portion of her midriff. Along with this, she wore a yellow crop top with an emblem on the left side, black mini shorts with a brown belt, and to top it off, long brown boots that ended just below the knee. Her entire attire was rather loose fitting and seemed perfect for flexibility in combat. Upon closer inspection, Weiss even noticed the brown tail that she had wrapped around her waist.

"You must be Ruby's sister," Weiss commented. "I have to say, if it wasn't for the tails, I wouldn't have pegged you two to be related."

"Name's Yang," the bountiful teen responded with a grin. "And yeah, we get that a lot. We have different moms but… we don't know our father. We have a pretty cool step-dad though. Taiyang Xiao Long, he teaches at Signal."

"Taiyang? I think I've read about him somewhere here. Team STRQ, he was part of that team wasn't he?" Weiss queried. Both Ruby and Yang grinned at the mention of their parents' team name. They couldn't count how many times their parents had bragged about being the strongest team to ever graduate Beacon, and that made it all the more funnier when the two daughters kicked their asses. It was practically icing on the cake seeing their pride shatter. Uncle Qrow was the worst offender in this regard, always bragging about letting them win when everyone knew he was trying his hardest just to keep up.

"Yep! Our moms are both a part of that team too!" Ruby grinned causing Weiss' eyes to widen.

"Summer Rose and Raven Branwen? They're your _parents_!?"

"Yeah, they also trained us. Not to toot our own horn or anything… but we're pretty strong," Yang retorted boastfully. Ruby merely giggled, giving her sister a playful punch. Weiss looked completely and utterly stunned at this revelation. The girl had done some reading on some of the recent successful teams to graduate from Beacon. She had read that team STRQ had been among the greatest huntsmen to ever graduate from Beacon Academy. Perfect grades, combat scores, and the highest merits on their missions completed during their time at Beacon. She would never have thought she would meet the children of that team!

"Well, that says a lot about you two," Weiss chuckled, eyeing her two new friends. "I expect to see some phenomenal work from the both of you tomorrow when initiation starts. Hopefully we'll get put on a team together," the silver-haired girl finished. Ruby practically squealed in excitement at the prospect of being on a team with Weiss and Yang. She could already tell that Weiss was quite strong, maybe not as strong as her or Yang, but the mere thought of the idea sent waves of adrenaline through her body.

"That would be amazing! Come on, you should _totally_ come and sleep with us! Come on, it'll be fun!" Ruby exclaimed happily. Weiss once again gave it more thought. She liked how comfy her room was, and seeing as it was more or less suited for four people, she had more than enough space to practice some techniques when she was bored. She had grown quite attached to her bedroom in Beacon, but she had been informed she would have to give it up after tonight, seeing as students would be assigned to their dorms a few hours after initiation. Though, she didn't want to pass up on the opportunity presented to her. These two girls were the first people her own age that she connected with naturally. It didn't feel forced or artificial. Winter had told her to try and make friends, but she never felt she could really connect with anyone here at Beacon, despite most of them being nice and welcoming to her.

What exactly did she have to lose?

"Sure," Weiss replied happily. Ruby was ecstatic while Yang was just grinning. "I don't see why not."

"Awesome!"

"We should probably get going then. I don't want to get a bad spot and we are already late." Yang commented. Ruby nodded vigorously while Weiss shrugged. She didn't really care where they ended up. As long as the three of them could stay together, she didn't see any problems in her books. She had just made her first, true, two friends, and she was determined to keep them. If only she knew how to manipulate the initiation so that she could make sure she would end up on their team. The chances were unlikely, even if Weiss ended up with a horrible team, she at least knew she could hang out with Ruby and Yang if need be.

She had never had any friends before, and she was quite enjoying how this was playing out for her so far.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **A nice short and sweet chapter. Like I said before in the previous chapters, I'm not going to be posting chapters that exceed 10k. I think the nice comfy zone is between 7-8k so I'll be trying to stick to that.**

 **Let's talk about 21. She's a video game character, and despite myself having very little exposure to FighterZ, her design caught my eye. I try to avoid writing in characters from the Dragon Ball games because quite often I find them to be rather… unfitting. It's hard to explain. I feel the same way about movie characters as well. If I ever write movie characters or game characters into something, I will completely change their background/backstory to fit the narrative. Otherwise, it just breaks the story and ruins the experience for everyone.  
**

 **For 21 here, this is the case. Her backstory and mere existence is completely different from that of her game counterpart. The only similarities the two share are their physical characteristics and small personality quirks. If you're unfamiliar with her, just do a quick google search. Don't fret if you don't know anything about her. I don't either. I'm going to be building her as her own character in this story.  
**

 **For those of you who do know who she is from FighterZ, allow me to clarify some things just in case. In this story, 21 isn't an Android. Her default form is her Majin appearance. She does not have the good/bad imbalance and unsatisfiable hunger to turn people into pastries and eat them. She's around the level of Super Perfect Cell.**

 **You will learn more about her as the story progresses. She is a central character, I intend to develop her as such.**

 **Lastly, things are going to get wild pretty quickly. I am a bit of a stickler with This War of Mine in terms of seriousness and how grey things can get. In this story however, things are going to get** _ **colorful**_ **and quite explosive. You could say I'm experimenting with how I tell this story.**

 **All up, thanks for reading and I hope to see you guys next chapter.**

 **Adios!**


	6. Kinship

**A/N:**

 **Hey lads and lasses, another chapter for y'all. Thought I might be nice and release this considering chapters will be shorter in this story and I don't exactly need that much pre-written to fall back on. That being said, I'm happy you guys really like the inclusion of 21! She will be an important piece to this story, so look forward to that.**

 **Not much to say here! Just thanks for all the kind words and feedback!**

* * *

 _Chapter Six: Kinship_

Once the three girls had gotten comfortable, they had quickly started to talk amongst themselves.

Everyone else seemed to still be settling down as the sun slowly started to decline behind the distant horizon. It became apparent very quickly that the boys had separated from the girls, creating an unintended gender split down the middle of the room. Girls had one side of the room, while the boys had the other side. Not that it was important to the three faunus teens anyway. They had made sure to pick a nice spot close to the wall where they could talk in peace. Not only that, but it was the first time they could properly see the competition for this year. There were a lot of strong looking people around, and that only served to excite the three of them.

Weiss had hit it off with Ruby and Yang pretty quickly, seeing as the three of them had a lot in common. They all loved to fight and get stronger, and they loved the idea of a challenging opponent. Weiss had shared that she had a sister in the Atlas Military that she could fight evenly in one on one combat, while Ruby and Yang boasted about the fact that they could also stand on even ground with their parents, something that impressed Weiss even more, considering team STRQ's legendary status as Beacon paragons. It only served to amplify Weiss's hope that she ended up on a team with these two girls.

Considering that initiation changed with every year group, she had no idea what to expect tomorrow. She had heard various things from different year groups around Beacon. Professor Ozpin and Ms. Goodwitch made sure to change initiation every year so students couldn't cheat and prepare beforehand. It was a smart move, considering most students would have been smart enough to scout out where their initiation would take place, and gauge the easiest way to pass. This method ensured there were no unfair advantages.

Weiss wouldn't have it any other way, she was sure Ruby and Yang wouldn't either.

"So…" Yang started. "What do you think initiation is like for our year group? I wonder if it's like a one-day tournament or something. That would be pretty cool. I wouldn't mind squaring off against some of these guys. They don't look so tough," she finished with a smirk. Ruby snorted at that, a grin forming on her face. The idea of a tournament did sound appealing. She had never been in one before, and when she had seen them on television, they had looked immensely fun.

"No, I don't think so," Weiss retorted firmly, causing Yang to frown in disappointment. "I've heard from some of the other staff members that the first years' initiation tomorrow has something to do with the Emerald Forest. Unless they plan to set us loose in the forest and expect us to fight against each other, but that would be highly reckless. I've seen those woods and it's a hot spot for common Grimm," she explained. This gave the other two girls a bit of pause as they attempted to come up with another theory.

"Well, I mean… maybe they just want us to fight Grimm? Academies like Signal are meant to teach us how to fight and use our aura. Schools like Beacon are meant to prepare us against the real threat towards humanity, the Grimm. It would only make sense if they threw us in the deep end and expected us to fight and survive against the Grimm. This is a combat school after all," Ruby summarized. Weiss and Yang both nodded at that, it seemed like a sound theory, but there had to be more to it than just fighting Grimm. Weiss had heard from other year groups that no matter what surrounded their initiation, there had always been an objective they had to complete, sort of like their first mission as official students.

"That seems rather dangerous," Weiss retorted, getting strange looks from both Ruby and Yang. She rolled her eyes and decided to rephrase what she had said. "I mean, I'm sure we are capable enough, but what about some of the others? I can't imagine what Beacon's Public Relations team would have to deal with if a number of students died during the initiation exam. What if some fool managed to cheat their way into Beacon and died?" she questioned. Upon her saying this, a certain blonde haired male walked past them, dressed in a full Pumpkin Pete's onesie. He gave a friendly wave as he passed by. Ruby smiled and waved back, while Yang did so with a forced smile on her face. Weiss just ignored him.

"He seems nice," Ruby chuckled. Yang snorted.

"Oh come on, did you see what he was wearing? How lame can you get?"

"I thought it was kinda cute."

"I have to agree with Yang," Weiss interjected. "Nothing about him screams 'potential huntsman'."

"Aw, you guys are so mean," Ruby pouted with a slight smile. "You never know, he could be the strongest guy here."

"Anyway…" Yang drawled, changing the subject. "What's the plan then? If the initiation exam has something do with the Emerald Forest, should we try and meet up? If the professors see us working together, maybe we'll get put together as a team. I already like our setup here, and we kind of know each other, so that's a bonus. What should we do?"

"We'll just have to wait and see what Professor Ozpin has in store for us. I can only assume it's something that will gauge the strength of the average student. Since both you and Ruby are trained by professionals, and I would consider myself, exceptional when it comes to fighting, we shouldn't have any trouble passing this entrance exam. Depends on what the rules are. In the end, it's up to the teachers to decide what teams we are placed on," she finished. Yang hummed for a moment, letting Weiss's words skin in. The girl had a point.

"Hey, Ruby, what do you…" Yang turned to find Ruby was not in her sleeping bag. Weiss turned as well, noting the sudden absence. "Ruby? Where did she go?" Yang mumbled quietly. It took the two girls a moment to locate the missing girl, and when they did, they saw that she had maneuvered her way over towards another girl with the same dark hair as Yang. She had a bow on her head, and was sporting a grey sleeping gown. Weiss and Yang's mouths dropped open when they saw that this girl also had the same brown furry tail as them! Was this trait more common than they had originally thought?

Without a word or a sound, Ruby had managed to sneak over and plop herself down in front of the girl. Said girl, was reading a book, and hadn't seemed to notice. Ruby sat silently, her tail waving about behind her happily, easily enough for anyone to see. Yang and Weiss could have sworn they saw the girl's eye twitch.

Finally, after a few moments, the dark-haired girl placed the book on her lap and glared at Ruby.

"Can I… help you?"

"I couldn't help but notice you sitting here all by yourself! I thought I'd come over here and say hi," Ruby replied with a friendly smile. The bow-wearing girl looked at her quizzically while Yang facepalmed. Weiss's eyebrows furrowed. "Besides, I noticed you have a tail, just like mine!"

"Is this how she makes friends?" Weiss whispered to Yang who groaned. "I mean, I guess it worked on me because I've never really had friends… but honestly, thinking about it now, that seems rather weak."

"You have absolutely no idea…" Yang retorted, a grimace on her face. "Ruby's… well, she's not stupid, but she's terribly naive. Summer coddled her a lot. Didn't seem to do her any favors in the long run." she finished. She watched as the dark themed girl merely stared at Ruby in disbelief. Slowly, she placed a bookmark on her page and closed the book, putting it to the side as she returned to staring at Ruby. The smaller excited teen just smiled, waiting for her new potential friend to respond.

"You are… rather strange, you know that?" Blake said simply. Ruby snorted, waving the girl off.

"Oh please, everyone's strange to some degree. If we weren't, everyone would be the same! Come on, let's introduce ourselves. My name is Ruby Rose," she smiled as she gestured to herself. Then after a moment, she pointed at the girl, who continued to stare at her in a state of confusion. "What's your name?"

"Blake."

"Well, Blake, it's nice to meet you. I like your bow," Ruby responded politely. Blake's expression twisted into a look of confusion.

"Uh, thanks? I guess?"

"What!? Did I screw up? I didn't insult you, did I?" Ruby started to panic.

"I just… forget it," Blake sighed, shaking her head to dismiss her confused thoughts. She tried her best to give Ruby a friendly smile, but it only looked forced in the end. Weiss and Yang were watching from a distance, cringing at the entire interaction. "It's nice to meet you too… I suppose. I uh, like your… _hair_?" she finished, sounding a little unsure about her answer. She wasn't good with this kind of forced social interaction. Blake had no idea what to say! This girl had just appeared in front of her and had practically pulled her into a conversation she wasn't even sure she wanted!

"Thanks! I get it from my mom, although hers is a lot longer, but having long hair is a pain. I prefer to keep mine nice, short, and tidy," she replied with a haughty grin, gesturing to her auburn hair with red tips. Blake was struggling to find answers as to why she was having this conversation with this strange faunus girl. The fact she had the exact same tail as her, peaked her interests long enough for her to entertain this conversation at all. If it were anyone else, she would have simply told them to get lost. She had never met _anyone_ with a tail like hers, and yet here she was, a person who shared the same trait, sitting opposite of her.

Off to her right, she did catch two more who were staring intently at both her and Ruby. One with long black hair, and one with bright silver hair. Upon closer inspection, she had noticed that they also had the same tails as well! All four of them in one place, all sharing the exact same trait, in color and length?

It boggled her mind as to the odds of such an event happening at all! Throughout her entire life, she had not met a single faunus who shared a similar tail to hers. Sure, she had met other monkey faunus, but they never had a unique brown tail. If they did, it certainly matched their hair color.

She had black hair with a brown tail. Another defining feature that separated her from everyone else.

Having had enough of watching, Yang and Weiss stood up and made their way over towards Ruby and Blake. Yang quickly bent down and pulled her sister to her feet, despite her displeased cries.

"We're sorry she bothered you," Yang stated as Ruby huffed. "Sometimes she just likes to, uh… wander off and bother people. We'll just be going now," she finished as she took hold of Ruby's arm and started pulling her back to their little bedding area in the classroom. Most of the others were starting to go to sleep and the last thing they wanted to do was cause a commotion. As Ruby started to argue violently, Yang clamped her hand over her mouth and continued to pull while Weiss stayed by Blake. Both Belladonna and Schnee were locked in a stare, complete with silence.

After a few moments, Weiss broke the silence.

"I feel like I should know you…"

"Strange," Blake responded, narrowing her eyes. "The feelings mutual."

"My name is Weiss."

"Blake," she replied quickly, for the second time that night. The two continued to stare at each other, as if they were having some kind of telepathic conversation. Blake noted the brown tail behind Weiss had curled around her body and into her front for Blake to see. Her amber eyes stared at the appendage with intrigue. Now that she had gotten a better look at it, she could say for sure that it was exactly the same as hers. In fact, it was the same as Ruby's as well. Strange, it was quite uncommon for such a specific trait to be so widely possessed. Even stranger yet, Weiss, Ruby, and the other girl were the only three people she had ever encountered with that specific trait.

It made her question the legitimacy of the attribute. She had cat ears, clearly from her mother's side, but she had never known her biological father. Ghira had been all she needed, but what if this monkey's tail wasn't actually a faunus trait? What if it was something more, because according to doctors and all known medical studies, it was biologically impossible for a faunus to have two characteristics, let alone two _different_ ones. All her life she knew she was different, but she had always brushed it off as something she didn't understand. Now she had met three more people who shared this characteristic. Was it just a coincidence that she hadn't met anyone else like them?

No! It couldn't be a coincidence!

Every faunus that had an animal characteristic, that had fur, _always_ matched that person's hair color!

This was common knowledge, and Blake knew that, having been reminded daily when she was younger.

"Well then, Blake," Weiss broke the hybrid cat out of her thoughts, a smile appearing on the silver-haired girl's face. "I look forward to seeing _you_ in initiation tomorrow," she finished, turning on her heel and returning to her friends, who seemed to be in a heated debate. Ruby and Yang looked ready to attack each other. She groaned, knowing that it was now her responsibility to break them up before they woke everyone up. It was dark now, and people were already snoozing.

"You too," the amber-eyed girl responded absently. What was it about those three that made her blood boil? They all gave off an aura of power that just demanded that she challenge them. She had never felt this rush before, except for that time when she fought that drunkard in the street. He had been holding back apparently, despite the fact that she had kicked his ass. It was like a small itch she couldn't scratch, but after a few moments, Blake managed to squash it as a sense of drowsiness overtook her.

The lights suddenly switched off, momentarily stunning those who were still awake. No doubt the teachers were telling them it was time to retire for the night.

They had a big day tomorrow, and everyone was going to need their sleep.

=/=

* * *

=/=

Weiss Schnee was the first to wake up amongst her sleeping friends.

As she woke up, she noticed that a few of the other students in the room were also starting to wake, one being a familiar red-haired girl. Pushing that aside, Weiss got up and brushed off her nightwear dress, removing all the crinkles before she made her way out of the classroom and headed towards the dormitories. There was a perfectly capable and working shower in her room, so she decided she would freshen herself up for the day before initiation was due to start. She felt rather bad, considering she managed to get this privilege while the other first-year students didn't, but it wasn't about to weigh her down.

She managed to find her way back to her dorm and jumped through the shower. Once she was done, she quickly changed into a spare set of her clothes before she headed to the small makeshift kitchen. She wasn't an amazing cook, but living with Winter had allowed her to learn a thing or two about cooking properly. Weiss decided to throw something small, quick, and healthy together. By small, she meant enough to feed a party of three or more in one sitting. Due to her unbelievable appetite, she had about three or four dishes made in the next thirty minutes. It didn't take her long to scoff it down, and since she was eating in her room alone, she didn't have to worry about manners.

After finishing up and cleaning, she headed towards the locker rooms, where everyone was obliged to keep their weapons and combat gear. On her way down, she couldn't help but embrace the bubbling feeling inside of her chest. Every inch of her body was giddy with excitement as she opened the locker room door and headed in. It was a rather large area, and since the room was unisex, it was quite busy. Boys and girls alike were littered throughout the room, clipping their weapons to themselves and making sure they were stocked with ammo.

Walking up to her locker, she swung it open and collected Myrtenaster. A light smile appeared on her face, her thoughts drifting to Winter. She made sure to write her every week, and at least three times a month, she would call. Weiss was lucky to have such a loving sister in a world that hated her kind. Things could have been much worse for her, and if it wasn't for Winter, she wouldn't have had these opportunities given to her. She would never have met Ruby or Yang.

That thought alone brought a frown to her face. What if they ended up on different teams?

Closing the locker door, she caught sight of the same red-haired girl she had seen getting up this morning. Now that she was closer, she managed to get a good look at her, realizing why the girl was so familiar to her in the first place.

"Hey," Weiss started, the girl turning to investigate the source of the voice. "You're that girl on that cereal box, right? What was your name again? Prryic… Nikes?" she struggled to remember the name. Weiss knew her first name started with a 'P' and, her last name with an 'N', but for the life of her she couldn't quite place her finger on what her actual name was. In Weiss's struggles to remember her name, the girl merely laughed at her silly attempt to get her name right.

"It's Pyrrha. Pyrrha Nikos. I am indeed _that_ girl on the cereal box," the emerald-eyed girl responded with a friendly smile. Weiss beamed at that, noting that her smile seemed much less artificial than Ruby's did when she tried to talk to Blake. Although, there was an element of sadness and disappointment to that expression that did not slip by Weiss. Having Winter as a sister had its benefits, and Weiss was almost an expert when it came to reading facial expressions.

"Well, my name is Weiss. It's good to meet you, Pyrrha," Weiss started, Pyrrha's smile seemed to lighten a bit, becoming more natural. "Say, how did you come to have your face on a cereal box? Are you some kind of celebrity? I only know you as the mascot for that dreadful cereal," she finished, causing Pyrrha to chuckle nervously. It was no secret the cereal she was a mascot for was awful. All the advertisements she had to film just because of the sponsorship were just tiring!

"Ah, well…" Pyrrha trailed off. "I wouldn't consider myself one. I just won a few tournaments at Sanctum Academy. Nothing special really," she finished, a nervous smile on her face. She deliberately left the part out that she was known as the invincible girl because no one her age was able to remotely damage her, let alone defeat her. She has gone undefeated since she started out on her dream to become a huntress, but the more she improved herself, the more she found herself under a spotlight she had no wish of being under.

"Oh," Weiss retorted, slightly disappointed. "Well that's good to hear. There's not much to say about me. I'd consider myself pretty capable, but I never attended any combat schools before. Beacon is my first, and probably the last," she explained. Pyrrha noted the fact that she had a tail, and guessed it had something to do with that. A lot of combat schools had problems with faunus attending, or intentionally made things difficult for them to get in. Beacon was no such school, which was why Pyrrha liked the place.

"So, do you have any idea what they have planned for us in initiation? I hear we are going to have to collect something in order to pass," Pyrrha stated, her eyes raising in thought. "Although, that does make me wonder where it will be located. The only place I can guess is either the Forever Fall, or the Emerald Forest."

"It's the Emerald Forest. I overheard the staff talking about it. If what you say is true, then we will be collecting something in the Emerald Forest. That doesn't sound too difficult," Weiss boasted, a grin appearing on her face. Another surge of excitement rushed through her body like electricity. She could feel it, the idea of finally being plunged headfirst into combat. The unknown excited Weiss, and judging from Ruby and Yang's reactions over in the far right of the locker room, she could tell they were also giddy, ready to start at a moment's notice.

"I guess that makes sense. The Emerald Forest does seem like an acceptable spot to hold an initiation exam for trainee huntsmen. I hear there's only common Grimm that roam that area near Vale. Beowolves and Ursa Minors. It shouldn't be too difficult for us, right?" Pyrrha replied with a confident grin. Weiss merely nodded absently as her focus landed on Blake, who had just walked into the locker room. She had walked over to her locker and pulled out an incredibly dangerous looking weapon. Weiss had never seen a sword quite like hers. The blade stretched all the way from her shoulder, down to the back of her knees.

"Helloooooo," a voice interjected. Weiss turned back to see the same blonde haired boy who had walked past her last night in that dreadful onesie. She couldn't help but notice he was looking at her specifically, with a creepy look in his eye. Weiss immediately took a step back, attempting to distance herself from him. "Name's Jaune Arc, Nice to meet you."

"What? Uh, hi?" Weiss retorted, confused at the sudden conversation.

"That's okay," the boy grinned, giving her a wink. Weiss briefly gazed at Pyrrha to see the redhead attempting to hold in a fit of giggles. "No need to be flustered. Happens all the time. I tend to have that effect on girls around me," he boasted, pretending to flex. Weiss merely raised an eyebrow at his attempt to look strong. She couldn't understand what he was trying to do. Was… he trying to prove he was stronger than her? The nerve of this boy!

"Okay... Well, my name is Weiss. It's-"

"So, Weiss, I couldn't help but overhear you planning something for initiation. I've also been hearing rumors about teams, what say you and I form a team together?" Jaune replied quickly, cutting Weiss off before she could finish her sentence.

"Excuse me? Where exactly did you hear about-"

"Actually," Pyrrha cut in. "Teams are comprised of four students. Perhaps all three of us could form a team and hope for one more?" she suggested. Weiss wasn't sure she was liking this idea. This guy spelled trouble, and she wasn't exactly sure if she wanted to be paired up with someone who was constantly boasting to her about how strong he was. At least, that's what he appeared to be doing. Weiss was also frustrated about being constantly cut off.

"Well then hot stuff," Jaune's attention was immediately shifted to Pyrrha, something that Weiss was somehow thankful for. She had absolutely no idea how to counter this boy. He was talking so fast she couldn't understand exactly what he was trying to get across. "Play your cards right and you might just end up on the winning team. Team Jaune, how does that sound?"

"That sounds… grand!" Pyrrha chuckled weakly, doing her best to put on a supportive smile. Acting normal was much harder when people like Jaune were around, but she had a sneaking suspicion that the boy had no idea who she was.

"What? That sounds stupid! What kind of team name is that!?" Weiss exclaimed, Jaune turning to her and winking again, something that she still wasn't understanding. "And stop winking at me! What are you trying to say? You think you're better than me?" she accused. The boy paused for a moment, blinking at her in confusion while Pyrrha snorted, attempting to hold in what looked like a volcano of laughter that was threatening to erupt. Seriously! What was so funny!?

"Oh, Snow Angel," Jaune started, causing Weiss's expression to twist into one of disgust. "I wasn't trying to say anything. All I was trying to say is that if you were to team up with me, you would definitely have no trouble passing the initiation exam."

"So you _are_ saying I'm weak!" Weiss exclaimed angrily. Jaune backed up a bit as a powerful heat wave washed over him.

"Ah, no! Hold on a second, let me rephrase-" Jaune didn't even get to finish his sentence before Weiss had implanted a foot in his gut. Within a second, he was sent flying across the locker room, and crashed painfully into the wall above the entrance. He dropped down and groaned, his body unmoving but still breathing. Weiss dismissed the boy with a harumph as she retracted her foot and set it firmly on the ground. Maybe that would show the boy to think twice before he implied that he was stronger than her. Seriously, who did he think he was?

"Can't say I was expecting that," Pyrrha chuckled. Weiss mumbled a string of obscenities.

"Fool, thinks he can say that I'm weak and get away with it…" Weiss hissed, causing Pyrrha to shift nervously. After a few moments, Weiss turned back to the girl with a friendly smile on her face. "It was nice meeting you, Pyrrha. I have to go. Maybe I'll see you during initiation."

"S-Sure! It was nice meeting you too, Weiss," Pyrrha stuttered as Weiss turned around and walked away. Pyrrha, on some level mentally cheered at the normalcy of the conversation she had just had! Not once had Weiss ever asked her if they wanted to team up or anything because of her skill level. In fact, she had even looked at her like she was just another student! That was all Pyrrha ever wanted when she came here. She wanted to be just like everyone else, and not to be placed on some kind of pedestal to be revered by everyone. Pyrrha watched as Weiss walked over to Ruby and Yang, seamlessly joining a conversation.

" _I wish it were that easy…_ " she thought somberly. Before she had a chance to do anything else, a voice came over the loudspeaker, interrupting all the chatter that was going on in the locker room. The voice clearly belonged to Professor Goodwitch.

" **Would all first-year students please head to the Beacon Cliffside for initiation.** "

There was only one thing on everyone's mind now.

It was show time.

=/=

* * *

=/=

The forest before them lay in complete silence as all the first year students took their places on the cliff's edge.

Each student stood upon a metal plate that had been built into the ground. No one had a single clue what it was for, but they could only imagine what the Headmaster had in store for them as he stood, sipping his hot chocolate, next to the Deputy Headmistress. He looked as calm and relaxed as they came, and some people weren't sure if that was a good thing. There was a hidden amusement in his eyes as each student walked up to their respective metal plates. Ruby could barely contain her excitement, something that was starting to infect both Weiss and Yang that stood on each side of her.

"Welcome to your initiation exam. I thank you for taking this action, daring to advance down the path that will ultimately benefit humanity in the end. All of you are here today in the hopes that you will attend this prestigious school dedicated to crafting the finest warriors out of talented youth," Ozpin stated as he took another sip of his beverage. All the students waited patiently for him to finish, a slight smirk crossing his face as he observed a certain Rose who could barely contain herself. "Your exam will take place in the Emerald Forest, and along the way, you will encounter many dangers. Do not hesitate to destroy any obstacle in your path, or you will _die_."

Some of the students grimaced at the Headmaster's blunt words. Weiss cringed a little, noting a subtle ruthlessness in his voice. She knew for a fact that Professor Ozpin wasn't one to mince his words, and neither was Glynda, seeing as she had been scolded multiple times on her academics by the headmistress on the months leading up to this exam. Handwriting, general arithmetic, and problem-solving were all below average from what the blonde teacher had observed. Weiss had been determined to rectify that issue, and Glynda had been happy to see her motivation.

"There have been many rumors surrounding the formations of teams," Professor Goodwitch stated, stepping forward and drawing the attention of every first-year student. Ozpin continued to watch with an entertained expression as more of the students started to sweat nervously at her harsh tone. "Allow me to put an end to those theories. You will be placed in teams immediately after the conclusion of your initiation Exam. Those who fail, will be sent home immediately."

Weiss unconsciously swallowed, a lump of fear dropping into her stomach. She knew she was strong enough to pass, but she wouldn't lie and say that her nerves weren't acting up. The last thing she wanted to do, was go home back to Atlas to live in that prison again. For as long as she lived, she swore she would never set foot in that damned house again. Weiss would not be a prisoner to her father's cruel rule anymore. She had been free for so long… she couldn't go back now.

Ruby and Yang, on the other hand, were unsure how to interpret these words. The thought of failure had never once occurred to them. Maybe it was arrogance, but they were pretty confident they were going to pass with flying colors. They were the daughters of two extraordinary huntresses that had graduated from this exact institution. They kind of viewed themselves as prodigies seeing as they could match their own parents before even attending Beacon. Surely they would have no problem passing this exam. How hard could it possibly be? Combat was in their blood! It was the one thing they excelled at better than anyone else they knew!

Blake Belladonna wasn't exactly bothered by the words. She knew she was going pass. She would make sure of it. If she failed, she would just come back next year, but that was almost a fading memory in the back of her mind. There wasn't a possible reason they could fail her. Blake was pretty confident she could beat anyone here should they get in her way. She had beaten an experienced drunkard huntsman several weeks ago. How hard were first-year students going to be compared to him? The answer seemed pretty obvious to her. The Grimm wouldn't be a problem to her either, seeing as she cleaved through some of the strongest Alpha's like they were made of butter.

Ozpin cleared his throat as he walked up and stood next to Glynda.

"Teachers and other huntsmen will be stationed around the boundaries of the forest to ensure no problems arise. Rest assured, they will not come to your aid. If you are training to be warriors for humanity's future, then you must show you are worthy. In order to survive, it is imperative that you work together as teams to complete your objectives. In saying that, it is even more vital that you find someone you can work well with. I needn't remind all of you what happens to huntsmen that cannot work together," Ozpin voiced ominously.

Ruby, Weiss, and Yang grinned at each other in unison. It seemed that what happened during initiation _did_ affect what final team they would end up on. All they had to do was find each other, but that was going to be an issue amongst all the other first-year students running about the forest. In that moment, the three seemed to be trying to communicate through stares, how they were going to meet up in the forest and form a team.

Unfortunately, it only served to confuse the three as Ruby started making stupid expressions with her eyebrows.

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with upon landing will be your partner for the next four years."

It took a few seconds for that sentence to sink in. Ozpin practically took pleasure in watching all the students' expressions morph into horror.

"NO!" Ruby shrieked. Yang was practically burning.

"WHAT!?"

Weiss felt like she wanted to cry.

"Why..."

Ozpin hid his amusement like a professional as he took a sip of his drink. As expected, Yang Branwen had the loudest reaction. She had a similar reaction to Raven when he had told them how teaming up would work. He had spent months reassuring the ruthless huntress that his system when it came to picking teams for the huntsmen was sound. Despite the many points she claimed to make, he had always ended the argument with a win. It seemed her daughter was picking up on many traits her mother had, especially her temper.

"I have no doubt that some of you might be questioning this method of team management. Rest assured, I have used this method for many years and Beacon has produced some of the greatest huntsmen this world has ever seen. To be a huntsman, you must be willing to put aside your differences and work together for the betterment of mankind. There are much more important things at stake than your own personal pride and morals," Ozpin continued, noting a scowl that appeared on Blake's face. He could clearly see that she didn't agree with a single word he had said, and he knew she would make for an interesting student.

He loved it when students challenged his ideals, because he always learned more about the world from them. Even with his countless years of experience, he never stopped learning when coming across a new batch of youth. They taught him new lessons, and he had no doubt that this year would be any different. He foresaw grand things from this group of students.

"Are there any questions before we get started?" Ozpin asked. Jaune Arc raised his hand.

"Ah, excuse me. How exactly are we going to get down there?"

"You will be dropped into the forest, and you are to use your own landing strategy," Ozpin retorted rather quickly, noticing that most of the other students were starting to get aggravated for having to wait so long. Without further ado, he pressed the button to begin the countdown sequence. "Excellent, the exam will start upon landing on the ground. Professor Goodwitch has uploaded your objective to your scrolls, so be sure to check it once you land, providing you didn't land on it," he finished, staring in Jaune's direction, his smirk widening. The blonde haired boy just swallowed as he raised his hand.

Jaune was about to open his mouth when he jumped in shock as the first person was rocketed into the air. One by one, each first-year student was shot into the air, catapulted towards the forest in front of them. He watched with fearful eyes as they reached a frightening height before falling like rocks towards the forestry before them. How could anyone survive a fall like that? Surely you would break your legs, or your spine upon impact on the ground! This man was absolutely insane! How could he just throw students into a forest like that and expect them to live!?

"Ah! I can't wait any longer!" Ruby exclaimed. She dashed off the launch pad before anyone had a chance to stop her. Ozpin didn't even move to intercept her, but Glynda reached out to stop her. Before she could, the smaller Rose slipped through, unfolded Crescent Rose and exploded off the ground, cracking the rock beneath her. She rocketed into the air, the resounding sounds of Crescent Rose propelling her further into the sky. The blonde haired teacher did a double take, clearly shocked at the girl's display of strength. She had gotten _that_ far into the sky just by jumping!?

"Yahooo!" her voice echoed causing Yang to roll her eyes and Weiss to chuckle lightly. Blake merely watched in amusement as the girl flew through the air, the force of her jump surprising even her.

"Quite talented isn't she?" Ozpin whispered to his colleague, a sparkle of interest in his eyes. Glynda couldn't even think of an appropriate response as she watched the red-caped teen twist gracefully in the air before falling into the Emerald forest. He turned back to see Yang and Weiss waiting patiently, the black haired girl tapping her foot excessively as the launch pad finally got to her. She winked at Weiss before being shot into the air. Weiss sighed as Ruby's pad shot up next to her with an audible snap, flinging an absent student nowhere. Finally, it was her turn. She took off like a comet, speeding through the air like she had done it a million times.

She had practiced her landing strategy with Winter more times than she could count.

"Uh," Jaune started meekly as the launch pads closed in on him. "About that landing strate-GY!" he was cut off as Ozpin pressed a button on his scroll, sending Jaune soaring into the air. Shortly following him, was Blake Belladonna who passed the blonde boy easily as his body twirled out of control in the air. Ozpin and Glynda watched as the rest of the students fell towards the forest, the exam officially starting the moment all of them touched the ground. The blonde professor then proceeded to transmit all students their exam objective. Collect a set of relics, one between two partners. She uploaded an image for reference, and a vague set of directions that they had to figure out.

"An interesting batch of students we have this year, Professor," Glynda noted as she flicked through the names. "Although that Jaune boy, I'm not sure he's ready for this kind of combat. Are you sure letting him in was a good idea? His transcripts were obviously illegitimate. I know I've never been one to question your decisions, but I can't help but think you might be overestimating the boy," she finished. Looking over his files, it was extremely moderate and average. It was the perfect example of an ordinary huntsman, which didn't make any sense to her. Everyone else seemed to have a few flaws to work on.

His just seemed average all the way through.

"Mr. Arc's transcripts are of no cause for concern. I am fully aware of the nature of where they come from, however, you know as well as I do that he comes from a family of renowned huntsmen. His father is a great man, and I have already let the man know his son is in capable hands. He was rather adamant his son return home immediately. I reassured him that Jaune belongs here, despite his combat skill," Ozpin stated, taking another sip of his cocoa. Glynda sighed as she watched Jaune get pinned to a tree by Pyrrha Nikos' weapon. An undoubtable stroke in luck. If he had landed, the boy would be food for any nearby Grimm.

Especially since his aura was locked. The display on his profile showed her.

"I'll take your word for it, Professor," Glynda retorted as she flicked through the next couple of profiles. To her horror, she landed on one that practically made her blood run cold. "Yang _Branwen_? Qrow and Raven were bad enough when they came through here. It was my first-year Ozpin, and you offloaded those troublemakers on me! Are you telling me one of them had a child!?" Glynda turned to her superior, a fierce glare on her features. Ozpin merely smiled as he finished his hot chocolate with a final sip.

"Yang is Raven's child, and believe it or not, she has a half-sister," Ozpin replied, amusement infecting his tone. Glynda frowned as she skipped to the next profile, her eyes widening. Ruby Rose? Daughter of Summer Rose? That wasn't even the most shocking detail when she compared the two files. "Judging from your expression, I can see you have figured it out. Ruby Rose and Yang Branwen, both daughters of Summer Rose and Raven Branwen, and they are both _faunus_. Their father is unknown."

"I never took Summer or Raven to be the types to sleep around…" Glynda mumbled to herself, switching between the two profiles. After reading a significant deal of information on them, she turned back to Ozpin, an annoyed expression plastered all over her features. "Why was I not informed those two had children? They were some of the best students to come through Beacon! Ignoring their horrible track record when it came to mischief, they were still some of the best. Why did you not inform me their children were coming to Beacon!?"

"I didn't think you cared to know," Ozpin replied quickly. "You seemed pretty relieved when team STRQ graduated. I remember you complaining to me on many occasions that they'd be the death of you if they didn't graduate. You really didn't like teaching them, so I avoided telling you their children were attending this year," he chuckled as Glynda looked at him with disbelief. She was quite aware of her distaste for teaching that troublemaking team. They were an absolute pain in combat class and outdid practically everyone in their year group. Taiyang's excessive puns, Raven's ruthlessness, Summer's giddy attitude, and Qrow's disinterest made for a very frustrating time as a teacher.

"You're right," Glynda grumbled. "I can't imagine a group more difficult to teach than team STRQ."

Ozpin had to hide his smirk as Glynda turned back to her scroll.

This year was going to very amusing.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Yay! All the girls are together now! Now we just got to hope they all end up on the same team!**

 **Not much to say here. I'm trying to cut down on A/Ns unless I really need to say something important.**

 **Cya next time!**


	7. Blissful Arrogance

**A/N:**

 **Long time no see? Been over two months haha. So much for quick updates. For real though, university and work have been keeping me busy, and like I've said before, This War of Mine remains my top priority until it's finished. So until then, this one will be getting updates whenever I get around to it.  
**

 **That being said, enjoy!**

* * *

 _Chapter Seven: Blissful Arrogance_

Ruby had to admit, her landing could use some work. It was still pretty early in development, so of course it wasn't perfect, but she would have to work on it sooner rather than later.

Her face did not function as a cushion for her fall as much as she would have liked. Rearing her head back, she spewed forth the chunks of dirt and grass that managed to become lodged in her teeth.

Brushing the rest of the dirt out of her hair, she pushed herself to her feet and strolled off into the woods. As she traversed the forest, she could make out the distinctive sounds of fighting from the other hopeful initiates. The Grimm howls echoed through the trees, and it made her blood rush with excitement. The prospect of battle was closer than ever now. She had spent so many years just training and sparring with her family members. Signal was excruciatingly boring. Most of the students there barely lasted more than fifteen seconds against either her or Yang.

She wanted a challenge.

Although, holding out on hope in thinking that any Grimm would challenge her was like waiting for a turtle to finish a marathon. The prospect of that happening was just too far-fetched and out of her imagination. No Grimm she had encountered in her life had been tough enough to withstand her overwhelming power. She crushed them like they were made of clay, and made a sport out of hunting them down with Raven and Yang. Summer didn't approve, but it wasn't like she could stop Ruby as she got older. Beowolves, Boarbatusk, Creeps, and Ursa Minor were boring and fell like dominoes when Ruby and Yang started trying. Ursa Majors and Alpha's were a little more fun, but they only lasted about a minute more than their lesser counterparts.

As Ruby continued to walk, she strolled into a clearing and almost immediately was surrounded by a pack of hungry Beowolves. She smirked as she cracked her knuckles, tilting her neck to get out the last few cracks. She bent down, stretching her legs, leaning from side to side as the animals encircled their prey. They had her surrounded, but little did they know that they were the ones who were trapped. She was itching for an excuse to let loose seeing as how she hadn't fought in _days_ , and now she finally got to go wild.

"Beowolves huh? 'Bout seven of you…" Ruby smirked giving one final stretch. "This is gonna be a piece of cake!"

The first Grimm charged blindly towards Ruby, she lazily maneuvered out of the way and delivered a devastating spin-kick to its side. Her foot sunk into its flesh from the absurd force behind the impact. The Beowulf didn't even have time to roar before it blasted off, through the tree line and disappeared. Bouncing on her toes, Ruby dared the next few Grimm to attack, despite the monsters' noticeable hesitation.

The next few Grimm rushed her all at once. Using her jaw-dropping speed, she vanished from sight causing all the Grimm to stop in their tracks. The female fighter appeared above the closest one, throwing her fist down and driving the unsuspecting Beowulf into the ground. Using the momentum from the attack, she rebounded into the air, kicking the next two Grimm that tried to attack her from behind, with both feet, one for each Grimm. The two monsters crashed against nearby trees, their bony exoskeletons snapping and folding in on themselves before the body finally turned to smoke.

Ruby landed with a level of grace that would make a gymnast jealous, grinning madly in the process. There was _almost_ a hungry look in her eyes.

Without even looking, her sixth sense forced her elbow backward, impacting an attacking Grimm right in the snout. It stumbled back, but Ruby was already on the attack. She turned and closed the distance in an instant. Bringing her knee up, she slammed it straight into its chin, and in the same movement, she flipped, bringing her opposite leg down atop of the Beowulf's neck. The satisfaction of hearing bone crack beneath its flesh brought Ruby a disturbing, yet satisfying smile to her face as the Grimm's wails were silenced, its lifeless body turning to smoke under her leg. That still left about five more Grimm to deal with. She toyed with the idea of using Crescent Rose against fodder like this, but she decided against it.

Her baby wouldn't be wasted against such weaklings like these!

She dashed forward, a grin on her face as she threw her fist forward towards one of the Grimm. It wasn't nearly fast enough to dodge it, and her fist went straight through it, its body dissipating into a smoky black cloud almost immediately. Deciding to use a bit more strength and speed, she zipped around the clearing with blinding speed, flattening and butchering the poor unsuspecting Beowolves before they even had a chance to scatter. With nothing but her physical strength, she had dispatched an entire pack of Beowolves without even breaking a sweat. She straightened up as the last Beowulf evaporated and exhaled.

"Barely even a warm up! Come on, I could have easily wasted these creeps when I was four! How do huntsmen have so much trouble against these things!? It's like they are made of paper," Ruby moaned as she turned around, giving her arms another stretch. A painful pop in her arm caused her eyes to bulge, before shrinking back into a state of relief and pleasure. "Oh, yeaaaaaaah… that's the spot. I'm so awesome!" she finished as she took out her scroll and swiped through the messages. Glancing at her objective, she aimlessly looked towards the direction she needed to go. Apparently, there was a temple at the end of the forest with relics they needed to retrieve.

She shrugged nonchalantly. Sounded easy enough.

As Ruby turned to head off in the direction she needed to go, she saw a familiar girl leaning on a tree watching her. She wore an amused smirk and had her arms crossed in a relaxed manner.

"Thank goodness you're an easy person to find," Weiss stated, rolling her eyes in the process. Ruby practically jumped for joy. "Do you realize how much noise you were making? Compared to everyone else, it was quite easy to track you down from where I landed," she finished, walking up to Ruby and giving her a friendly smile. The smaller Rose grinned, her cheeks flushing red at the embarrassment of being too loud. If Weiss was telling the truth, then half the forest would have heard her.

"Weiss!" Ruby cheered, practically shooting into the air with glee. It was clear to anyone watching that the red-caped girl was on the verge of bursting at the seams with excitement. "Yay! We're partners. I can't believe we found each other this quickly! Oh, we are going to kick so much butt! I can't wait!" she laughed, already bouncing on her feet, throwing a few punches and kicks at an invisible opponent. Weiss merely chuckled, twirling Myrtenaster in her hand.

"Come on then, let's go. We need to find those relics. That is the same objective right? I checked my scroll when I landed," she questioned. Ruby nodded vigorously. "Very good, we are on the same page. I wonder if the next two people we make eye contact with will make up the rest of our team? Could that be what Ozpin was referring to? If it is, this system is kind of questionable. I'm not sure how I feel about this, although I am glad you are the first person I found," she finished with a smile. Ruby grinned, blushing at the girl's kind words.

"Aw, stop it. You're making me blush!"

"Yeah, you're right," Weiss sighed. "Wouldn't want to inflate your already massive ego. You are impulsive enough as it is," she smirked as Ruby's face twisted into a pout. The shorter girl frowned at Weiss, as the taller girl turned around and walked towards the treeline, aiming for the directions marked on her scroll. She couldn't help but chuckle at Ruby's mumbles from behind her back. Weiss was glad she had made a friend like Ruby, a girl so easy to get along with. It almost felt natural, as if she were used to holding conversations with the girl. It couldn't be because she was a faunus like her, right? That would be ridiculous.

The two teen female faunus made their way through the vegetation of the forest. It was mostly an uneventful journey towards the temple at the other end of the valley, and they were hoping to reach the area in the next hour or so. They decided it was best to conserve their energy, seeing as they would undoubtedly have to fight more Grimm later, not that it would be much trouble for them, given the difficulty of defeating the common fodder Grimm. Weiss had seen the end of Ruby's little bout with the pack of Beowolves, and she was vastly impressed with the ease and finesse that she dispatched them with.

Her form and grace were on par with her own when it came to fighting, not to mention her concentration and almost second nature movements when it came to dodging attacks from behind. It even served to remind Weiss how much Ruby fought like her. Despite carrying weapons, hand to hand combat seemed to be the fighting style they both prefer.

She knew Yang was a hand to hand fighter, considering the nature of her weapons, but Ruby seemed to default to using her body as a means of attack, before actually thinking about using her weapon. It was just like her. While she preferred to use the stylish and graceful techniques she had studied for months upon end back at the Schnee mansion, she also took the time to try and master the art of sword fighting.

Weiss valued technique over everything else. To be mindful and careful in the heat of battle, the skills you used could always make the difference in a fierce battle. She had studied many techniques and specialist reports that masters of hand-to-hand combat had written. Many times over, she had read that knowing your opponent was the most critical factor. The next two essential skills she had yet to master were technique and speed. Strength was the last and least important factor when it came to combat. If you could avoid and anticipate all your opponent's moves before they could make them, you had already won the fight before it started!

While she definitely had the strength, she obsessed over the other factors. She noticed Ruby lacking in a lot of those areas. Her partner had the concentration in battle, but she was too focused on the excitement than actually winning. Sure, Ruby was incredibly fast, probably faster than her, but Weiss was sure she could probably come out on top if she and Ruby sparred. The idea of sparring with Ruby ignited a desire within her she didn't even know was there!

"I feel like we've been walking for hours!" Ruby moaned childishly. "When are we going to get there?" she continued to whine, much to the Schnee's ire. Weiss' eyebrow twitched. While she admired a lot of things about Ruby, this was one thing she did not seem to like. Ruby had the attention span of a toddler. Nothing entertained her except the idea of fighting and growing stronger. She was thoroughly bored of walking, and she paid no mind in letting Weiss know every single little detail.

"Ruby, it's been a little more than twenty minutes. I'm sure if we keep at this pace, we will be there in the next twenty," Weiss retorted quickly, trying to hold on to her patience that seemed to be slipping with each word that came out of Ruby's mouth. Weiss wouldn't consider herself the most patient person in the world, but she knew that Ruby's insistent whining would be enough to drive any sane person up the wall. "Besides, it's not that bad. We are just walking; it's better than standing still and waiting for the action to come. We are more likely to run into something if we keep moving."

"It's been twenty minutes!? I can't believe this! I thought initiation was going to be full of action! Where's all the Grimm!?" Ruby whined. Weiss groaned. Thankfully, it _didn't_ take another twenty minutes to reach their desired destination. When they arrived at the temple, they found a small concrete structure with several pedestals. On top of each, sat different colored artifacts. They looked like giant chess pieces, so Weiss was questioning their relevance to the exam, but the picture on her scroll didn't lie. These were the objects they were looking for.

After gazing at the chess pieces for a while, Weiss and Ruby easily concluded that there had to be more concrete structures around. There only seemed to be about twenty odd pieces, while there were at least over a hundred students in this exam, which was the deciding factor for their entry to Beacon! If this was all there was, their year group was going to be disappointingly small, something which Weiss and Ruby hoped wouldn't be the case.

"I think these are the pieces. That was quick," Ruby commented, causing Weiss to groan. While Ruby was right in the sense that Weiss was expecting their journey to take another twenty or so minutes, she couldn't help but groan at the fact that the silver eyed girl had the gall to say that their stroll through the forest was quick from all the whining she was doing. "I know we were looking for these things, but really? Chess pieces? What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not sure, maybe it's supposed to represent something metaphorically?" Weiss replied in a curious tone, picking up a white knight chess piece and tossing it to Ruby. It was only one relic between two pairs, so they decided to pick the most important looking one. They seemed to be the first pair to arrive at the location, evidence being that none of the other relics had even moved or been picked up. Ruby and Weiss absently wondered how they were being graded. Were there cameras all over the forest? How were the teachers keeping track of their progress? "I wouldn't have a clue. Point is we have completed our objective, so we should probably head back."

Ruby nodded in agreement, but as she went to take a step back in the opposite direction, an earthshaking roar echoed throughout the entire valley. It was loud, high, and enough to cause the faunus teen duo to cover their ears in pain. That roar was undoubtedly a Nevermore. Once the sound subsided, the two turned to each other, Ruby's expression showcasing a grin of anticipation. Weiss could only smirk in response.

"We aren't going back are we?"

Ruby just laughed and took off in the direction the roar came from.

"Hey! Wait up! Not that I'm complaining, but a little communication wouldn't hurt you!"

"Come on Weiss! We're going to miss all the fun!"

=/=

* * *

=/=

Yang groaned as she walked through the Emerald forest with her hands resting behind her head. She was beyond bored at this point, and she had only landed about ten minutes ago.

Sometimes she found herself questioning why she had even bothered coming to Beacon. Raven was pretty against her decision to attend in the first place, and she only had two reasons for going. The first was to get out and explore the world for what it had to offer, and the second was that she didn't want to be left behind by Ruby who seemed to have much more ambition than she did. Combat was second nature to her, and she almost always wanted to use her physical power to solve the problems in her way. Raven and Taiyang had been pretty adamant that brute strength wasn't the only way through an obstacle, although Raven didn't mind it most of the time.

Stuck at home on Patch, training and living with her mother was rough. Raven was a slave driver, and she constantly pushed Yang to better herself and get stronger. Often she would catch her mother lamenting about certain things, and it was no secret to Yang that she secretly desired to return to her tribe. It was later into her childhood that Raven had explained where she and uncle Qrow had come from, and why she had felt the need to return to them. They had raised them and protected them. They had trained them, and when it came time, she and Qrow were chosen to be the ones to go to Beacon to learn how to fight like huntsmen.

Her tribe had _needed_ that skill, and while Qrow had no desire to return, she still had plans on going back. Yang wasn't sure what to think of this, but as it turned out, it seemed that she was the reason why Raven hesitated to return. Raven's unexpected pregnancy with her made the Branwen hesitate and think twice about returning to those thieves and murderers. Despite all of this, Yang couldn't understand the draw that bothered her mother so much.

Yang suspected there was more to this story, considering she started to clue herself into her mother's constant departures into the wild to go looking for someone. All her mother had told her was this person had something to do with her tribe and that she _needed_ to find him.

Something wasn't adding up.

Her mother was a… strange person, but she loved her anyway.

Yang was much less sugar-coated than Ruby was. Summer practically spoiled her at every turn. She loved Ruby so much that she managed to successfully hide all the painful details that Yang was bluntly subjected to. Her biological father was some monkey faunus that had a fling with both Raven and Summer, something which disgusted Yang, but she accepted it nonetheless. There was always something that bothered her about that, and Raven's story behind it. She had questioned Summer about it into her later teens, but the soft-hearted woman had always been very aggressive in avoiding the topic altogether.

Eventually, Yang stopped caring who her birth father was.

Taiyang was all she needed. He was there for her and was all she could ever ask for in a stepfather. Qrow was also an exceptional uncle when he wasn't drunk... then he was a comedic uncle that Yang was allowed to knock around for fun.

Yang stopped caring about a lot of the negatives in her life, and while Raven still had an overly depressing attitude towards life, Yang continued to push forward to try and make something of herself. She used her talents, which she was excelling at, to find something that she wanted to do. A huntress seemed like the perfect idea when Ruby had suggested it to her. So she and Ruby decided to attend Signal Academy and learn the ways of becoming a huntress. Much to their surprise, it wasn't all that different to what they had expected.

Go figure. They were raised by some of the best huntsmen around.

Signal was boring for the most part, and Yang scraped through with her superb combat skills and battle prowess. Her academics were barely passable, something that she was constantly grilled for by Taiyang and Qrow, both teachers at Signal Academy. Weapon studies and basic academics were subjects she held no passion for, and it was during those classes that she wondered why she had even bothered going there in the first place. She could have been home training with Raven and getting stronger, preparing to battle the real threats to the world like the Grimm and criminal masterminds.

All the while, Ruby had managed to keep her grades to an acceptable standard and stayed equal with Yang physically. Although Yang had to admit, she was still better than Ruby, and the only thing her half-sister had over her was speed. Yang was willing to bet that it was because the girl had a much smaller frame than her, and the red-cloaked girl was much more flexible than her. Her agility was astounding, and she moved at speeds that even made Raven and Summer gawk sometimes.

So now here she was, at Beacon Academy, participating in an initiation exam that couldn't be any more boring if it tried.

"Where are you at Ruby? Come on, make some noise so I can find you," Yang mumbled to herself. As she continued to walk, she came upon a small clearing where it looked like some Ursa Minor were facing off against an unknown opponent. Yang was hesitant to check, noting the fact that she would be paired with whoever she made eye contact with first, but after a few moments, she decided to throw caution to the wind and check anyway. Judging from how easily the Grimm here were getting pummeled, she was sure that whoever this was, would be pretty strong.

Walking in, she saw a familiar looking girl wearing a black bow, kick the side of one of the Ursa Minors' face, sending it flying into a nearby tree. Unable to take the massive force, the tree was uprooted and fell on its side. Yang watched with intrigue as the girl proceeded to decimate the rest of the Grimm without even breaking a sweat. To top it all off, when she was done, she didn't even look like she was warmed up at all! A minor inconvenience to her, something that Yang could completely understand. Most Grimm felt like they were made of cotton candy with how quickly she managed to kill them.

The brawler whistled, catching the bowed girl's attention.

"Damn, that was like four Ursa, and you're not even bothered! That's impressive. Couldn't help but notice some of those sweet moves you have going on," she complimented with a smirk. The girl glared at her, her amber eyes meeting her crimson ones. If there was one thing this girl had, it seemed to be an attitude. It wasn't exactly hard for Yang to miss that calculating glare she seemed to have when being complimented. "Name's Yang. You must be Blake, that girl my sister was talking to last night. I guess we're partners now."

"So it seems."

It seemed like an eternity, the two just staring at each other, almost as if they were waiting for someone to say something. The longer this awkward situation went on, the more uncomfortable Yang started to feel. She wasn't great when it came to these silent scenarios, and the fact that Blake just continued to stare at her with a stoic, emotionless expression started to really bother her.

"So, are we going to go find these relics or what? I mean, we are partners now," Yang asked, gazing towards Blake crossing her arms. The bowed girl merely shrugged at the question, forcing Yang to frown somewhat at the girl's lack of communication. It must have been at least two or three minutes, and she had only said three words! Yang could understand being nervous when it came to meeting new people, but this girl didn't even look nervous! She looked like a stone-faced model! Absolutely no expression! "Can you stop that?"

"Stop what?" the girl responded, confusion forming on her features.

"You're just staring at me. It's creepy!" Yang exclaimed. Blake merely raised an eyebrow at her outburst. Blake had no idea what she was going on about. Was she insulting her? No… it couldn't be, but why would she mention anything about her face? What was this about it being unnerving? She was just waiting for the girl to say something! Her mother had always told her if she had nothing to say, don't say anything at all, and wait for people to talk to you! Yang didn't seem to have anything to say, so Blake decided there was no need to reply!

"Uh, sorry I guess? I mean, I wasn't aware you didn't like being stared at. If you want, I can look the other way."

"No!" Yang quickly denied. "You were just staring at me in silence. I was, uh… kind of waiting for you to say something," she finished. Blake's mouth opened in realization, before quickly shutting it. It seemed like this girl was just as equally socially awkward as she was. However, Yang clearly wanted to be friends with her and was trying to make conversation. Since they were going to be partners for the next four years, Blake didn't see any harm in getting to know the girl. Hopefully she was more understanding than other faunus and humans. She did have a similar tail and condition. Brown tail that didn't match the color of her hair. Maybe she had more in common with this girl than she thought.

"Sorry, I'm not much of a talker," Blake retorted. She watched as Yang walked up to her and threw her arm around her shoulder. While the gesture made Blake suddenly feel very self-conscious, it wasn't entirely uncalled for. She wasn't entirely sure if making friends was such a good idea, but she at least had to give it a go. All the awful experiences she had endured when she was younger had brought about such a cynical view of bonds and friendship. For the longest time, Blake swore she could do without social interaction, but as she got older, she started to crave it. It was why she held so much value in the people in Menagerie that gave her the time of day. Some people grew out of prejudice, while others embraced it and amplified it. She was lucky that most in Menagerie came to see her as a good person instead of a freak.

A faunus with two characteristics.

It truly was a curse.

However, Blake hadn't met someone with Yang's personality before. In a world so dark, it was rare to find someone so carefree and relaxed. She could only hope that if their friendship blossomed enough, that Yang wouldn't see her as a freak when she came to reveal who she really was. In a way, the idea terrified her. She could already tell this partnership was going to be an interesting experience.

"Oh, well that's not a problem. I'm sure that's something we can work on later, but right now, I need to know if you have my back," she questioned. Blake toyed with the idea of replying with a smart, sarcastic comment about the girl having too much hair to even see her back, but she decided against it.

"Sure."

"Then that's all there is to it! Come on, let's go find these relics. I'm getting cramps standing around here. I need some action," Yang replied, slamming a fist into her opposite hand. Blake merely folded her arms and smirked. As Yang turned to walk away, Blake followed without hesitation. As boastful and noisy as Yang seemed to be, Blake didn't mind it all that much. She seemed to hit it off pretty well with this charcoal haired girl. Despite her intimidating appearance, she seemed to have a bubbly personality and attitude. In this dark world, Blake wasn't sure she minded such optimism.

It certainly made for a refreshing experience. She had never had a friend like this before.

Then again, she couldn't remember the last time she had a friend her age.

With their partnership off on a bumpy start, both Blake and Yang traversed the terrain, heading towards the temple at the end of the valley. The two made small talk along the way, small conversations to break the silence seeing as they had yet to run into any danger. It was a rather easy exam, something both of them found a lot of disappointment in. A lot of it was walking, dealing with Grimm, and making sure you didn't get lost. Although that was rather hard considering they had their scrolls to give them proper directions. It was almost impossible to get lost, meaning that this exam was more of a test of common sense more than anything.

Without even a shred of difficulty, the two girls made it to the temple and walked up to the pedestals that held the relics they were meant to take. There were only a couple missing, giving off the impression that they weren't the first ones here. The charcoal haired duo strolled up and examined the relics, comparing them to the ones they were sent on their scrolls. It wasn't that difficult to tell them apart, considering they looked like oversized chess pieces. Yang picked up a white knight piece and juggled it with her hands.

"How 'bout a cute little pony?"

"Cute?" Blake questioned with a slight frown. "You don't strike me as someone who would label things 'cute'."

"Hey, there are some things I find cute. Case and point, your bow," Yang retorted with a shrug, completely missing the slight flinch from Blake. As strong, prideful, and boastful as she was, she still managed to get in touch with her feminine side. Not as much as Ruby seemed to though. The red-caped girl seemed to somehow mix her innocent, naive feminine qualities with her tomboyish fighting addiction. Yang found it humorous sometimes, seeing the reactions from many of their peers. That girl truly was unique, and that gave Yang all the determination to stay ahead of her.

"Uh, thanks," Blake responded awkwardly. She wasn't used to being complimented so often since she lived with her parents. Here she was, being praised for the way that she _looks_ , by Ruby the previous night, and now her sister. The last thing she thought she was going to be complimented for was her looks, and especially by people she didn't really know. Unless they were boys, and they were trying to get into her pants, which were situations that were few and far between. She had still experienced them though, and she always told herself it was a good enough reason to break each of their noses.

Let it be known that Blake Belladonna wasn't a girl you could flirt with easily and get away without some part of your body broken.

"Yang?" a voice called out, causing both girls to turn. The teen in question turned her head to see Weiss strolling into the area. In her back pocket, a relic was tucked away, and it seemed rather easy by the way her pants were stretching. Seeing as Ruby had a combat skirt with very little pocket space, it seemed Weiss had to carry the object. "Did you just get here?" she questioned lightly. Yang nodded as she gestured to Blake.

"Yep, and sorry but Blake's my partner," Yang retorted with a sympathetic expression. Weiss raised an eyebrow and chuckled slightly.

"Oh, no don't worry about it. I found Ruby. She's my partner."

"Oh?" Blake voiced, looking rather interested in the aspect of those two being partners. If she had any guesses as to the way this exam was playing out, she wondered if the four of them would all end up on one team together. The odds of that happening seemed murky at most, but she still couldn't deny the possibility that it might happen. She definitely wouldn't mind it, seeing as the three girls she had met last night all shared similar faunus traits to her, aside from the hidden cat ears. Blake was more than curious to get to know them should she end up on a team with Weiss and Ruby. "Where is she?" the bowed girl questioned.

Before Weiss had the chance to answer, a giant black blur flew over the clearing above them. Upon further investigation, Blake and Yang managed to deduce that it was a Nevermore, one of the stronger and more dangerous types of Grimm. It's sheer size and strength warranted multiple huntsmen, maybe even a team or two to take those things down. The older Grimm were more intelligent and wary of the world, and it was often displayed by the size. Nevermore came in a lot of different sizes, and generally, you could tell how old and strong it was by its size. This one seemed comparable to about two bullheads.

The largest recorded Nevermore that had been killed was said to be about five to six bullheads wide, some saying it could destroy cargo carriers just by flying past them. However, Nevermore were only one type of Grimm, and the different species of Grimm had many different ways to inform the people how old and powerful they were. Size, bone structure, and armor. It could be a multiple of various factors, but with the Nevermore specifically, the size was the way to tell.

The Schnee sighed in an exasperated manner. "She's up there."

The Nevermore roared, accompanied by a shriek of laughter from an otherwise, excited huntress.

"Riding that Nevermore."

Yang groaned and facepalmed while Blake let out an amused chuckle. The three girls watched from below as the Nevermore circled the sky while Ruby sat on top of its head, Crescent Rose lodged inside of its neck. Ruby was sitting on the edge of the handle, her tail wrapped around it tightly so she couldn't fall off. She looked like she was having the time of her life while the Nevermore was squawking in agony. Yang wasn't sure what she should have been more concerned about. The fact that Ruby delighted in causing monsters physical pain, or the fact that she _actively went looking_ for this kind of amusement.

"Wonderful," Yang sighed as she cupped her hands to call out to Ruby. "Hey! You gonna get down from that thing any time soon, or am I going to have to shoot you down!?" she called out. Ruby, from her perched position, managed to gaze over the broad wings of the Nevermore and glance down at the group of three standing around the temple. She waved from her seat, a grin plastered all over her face.

"Hey, Yang! Hey Blake! Are you two partners!? Because that would be really cool!" she shouted back. Blake folded her arms in amusement, as did Weiss as Yang and Ruby opted into having a shouting conversation.

"Yes! She is, now can you get down from there so we can talk!? Besides, I remember Summer telling you that riding Grimm was reckless and stupid! You're going to get yourself hurt!"

"Hurt!?" Ruby shouted indignantly. "You worry too much, Sis! I have totally got this!" she finished. However, as she did, she accidentally applied too much pressure to the impaled Crescent Rose and dug further into the Nevermore's neck. It wailed in pain as the flesh holding its head together seemed to rip apart from the strain. Crescent Rose ended up slicing through the neck, beheading the Nevermore completely unintentionally, causing Ruby to fall suddenly.

She had just enough time to look back as her precious Crescent Rose freed itself from the monster's neck, her eyes bulging in bewilderment. Blake and Weiss watched with mild fascination as Ruby plummeted to the ground before them, screaming all the way down. She impacted painfully, forming a large crater several meters away from the trio. Yang sighed as she walked over and gripped the end of Ruby's cape, dragging her out of the small hole in the ground unceremoniously.

"I'm okay…" she mumbled, the words spilling out her dazed mouth, along with stray bits of dirt and grass. Yang rolled her eyes.

"Oh shut up," she retorted blandly. " _I've got this, Yang! Don't worry!_ " the charcoal haired girl mimicked her sister's voice mockingly. Ruby continued to groan as she was pulled by her red cloak. Once Yang had finished pulling Ruby back towards Blake and Weiss, she let go of the cloak, causing the back of the smaller girl's head to collide with the dirt audibly. Weiss merely rolled her eyes while Blake tried to hide her hysterics. The white coated girl wanted to laugh at the red themed girl's misfortune so badly. Such a free-spirited, happy go lucky girl. Blake couldn't believe a girl like her could even exist in a world like this one.

"I warned you that was a stupid idea," Weiss scolded her partner. "Let's just kill the Grimm. No Weiss, let's ride it. Come on, it'll be fun!" she finished with a scowl. Ruby managed to get to her feet and dust herself off. With her tail still wrapped tightly around her weapon, she unwrapped it and picked it up, quickly folding it down to size so she could clip it to her back. Once she was done, she gave both Yang and Weiss a childish scowl.

"Oh, come on! It _was_ cool! I totally would have had that if you two didn't distract me. Besides, this exam is so boring! I was expecting way more Grimm than this!" Ruby complained. Blake raised an eyebrow at this, seeing as Yang had been complaining about a similar thing, but here she was pretending to be the older more mature sister. She really had stumbled upon a group of interesting and likable people. Nothing about these three had rubbed her the wrong way so far. She hoped it would stay that way, seeing as she was beginning to like them. Ruby was about to continue ranting when two strangers emerged from a treeline, one seemingly riding an Ursa.

"Oh yeah!" the orange-haired girl cheered. The Ursa collapsed and seemingly died under her. She pouted childishly. "Aw… it's broken," she moaned. Upon hearing this, Ruby immediately turned to Yang with a scowl, while the older sister tried her best to ignore her sister's glare.

"So _she's_ allowed to ride Grimm, and I can't!? How's that fair?" the small girl cried childishly. As the hammer-wielding girl and her male partner walked up to the group of four, Ruby seemed to be content in starting another argument with her sister. This was becoming apparent to Blake and Weiss, as something of a regular occurrence with the two. After enough glaring, Yang finally turned back to Ruby with a maternal, protective fire in her eyes.

"That's an Ursa! I would like to argue that while still horribly reckless, it isn't nearly as stupid as trying to ride a Nevermore!"

"I wasn't _trying_ to ride a Nevermore. I _was_ riding a Nevermore! You distracted me, and I put too much force into Crescent Rose! You made me behead my flying taxi!"

"Why are you so childish!?"

"Why are you such a buzzkill!?"

"You rode a Nevermore!?" The orange haired girl cried, breaking Ruby and Yang out of their spat. "That's so cool! How did you manage that!?" she continued, gushing at the mere idea of riding on the back of a Nevermore. Ruby grinned, about to respond until the girl's partner held up his hand, looking more than concerned at the prospect of riding Grimm in _general_.

"Please, don't encourage her," the boy panted, clearly still recovering from the exhausting venture he and his partner had just endured. However, she was unaffected by it, to his utter astonishment. To this day, Ren couldn't figure out where Nora got all of her energy. It must have been something to do with her semblance having some passive effect on her. Ruby, apparently unhappy at the fact she couldn't tell her fascinating story to Nora, frowned and crossed her arms childishly. Weiss was about to say something when a girlish scream sounded from above them, prompting everyone to look up.

Jaune Arc had been flung through the air, and before he even had a chance to call for help, he crashed face first into a tree. Everyone cringed at the crack they had heard, and some of them weren't sure if it was the tree bark or his skull. Weiss and Blake were betting on both, seeing as the boy slid down to the ground and practically lay unmoving on his stomach. He couldn't help but notice the vibrations coursing through the ground beneath him, something that the others noticed as well.

"Isn't that Jaune?" Weiss queried with a slight hint of dissatisfaction in her voice. "What's he doing?"

"Forget that!" Ruby squealed in excitement, as she pointed towards the treeline, just in time to see Pyrrha Nikos dive through it, narrowly dodging a swipe from an angry Deathstalker. "It's a Deathstalker! I've never seen one of those before! Oh my gosh, look how big it is!" she beamed. She dashed forward but was immediately stopped by Weiss who grabbed the back of her cape before she could truly speed off. Ruby gagged as her body tipped back and hit the ground. Weiss and Yang merely rolled their eyes.

"You are not running off again. Deathstalkers are rumored to be some of the most powerful Grimm. It takes at least a team of four to take them down, you impulsive buffoon!" Weiss insulted, causing Ruby's eyes to widen. Weiss immediately realized what she had just said and spluttered to find words of apology. That was until Yang burst into tears of laughter while Ruby giggled to herself, wiping tears of hysterics out of her eyes. Weiss stared dumbfounded at the two of them before Yang explained.

"My mom often calls us buffoon's because we often act before thinking. I kind of grew- well, to be fair, I had it beaten out of me, but Ruby still does it most of the time," Yang explained. The red-caped girl shrugged innocently as she climbed back to her feet.

"I can't help it. The idea of fighting a Deathstalker had me fired up!" she exclaimed. An audible smack was heard as Pyrrha landed right next to the group of teens, looking exhausted. She by no means was hurt, but it seemed she had been running for quite some time. "Oh well, I already had some fun with that Nevermore, I think I can let someone else have a turn. How about you, Weiss?" she asked, turning to her partner with a grin on her face. Weiss gazed at the oncoming form of the Deathstalker. In the next twenty seconds, it would be upon them. Unfortunately, Weiss once again didn't have time to respond.

"Hell no! This one is mine!" Yang declared as she strolled forward. Blake raised her eye at this.

"You think you can take a Deathstalker? You sure you don't want any help with that?" she questioned with an amused tone lacing every word. Yang simply turned her head as she continued to walk towards the oncoming monster. She grinned confidently.

"No way! I've _got_ this."

"Alright then," Blake smirked. "Show me what you can do, _partner_."

Yang turned back to the Deathstalker, cracking her knuckles in the process. Any moment now it was about to take a swing at her, it just needed to close the distance a little more. She wiggled her fingers a little, getting the blood running through her hands since they had been rather cold since the start of initiation. Curling them into the center of her arm, she tensed and slid into a comfortable stance. After a few seconds, the Deathstalker finally had closed the distance, and in a split second, it's left claw came in for a swipe at Yang. The girl maneuvered her body out of the way, dodging it with ease.

She then quickly jumped back as its stinger impaled the ground, and using her momentum, she pushed off, firing her gauntlets at the same time to get a speed boost. She zipped right through the middle of the Deathstalker, bypassing its stuck stinger and claws. With a roar, she slammed her fist right into the Grimm's face with incredible force. The bone armor it had to protect its face cracked and shattered like glass. Yang's arm punctured the soft flesh underneath the Deathstalkers armor and plunged her hand right into its face.

Cocking her gauntlet, she fired a few times until the Grimm went limp. She ripped her hand out of the Grimm and watched with satisfaction as it started to evaporate into smoke. Turning, she walked back to the group of teens with a grin on her face. She took pleasure in looking at the shocked expressions on some of their faces. Ruby was laughing while Weiss looked slightly stunned. Blake looked impressed as Yang raised a hand to high five her. Blake hesitated before accepting the high five. Yang fist pumped.

"Hell yeah! That's how you do it! What a rush!"

"Nice job," Blake commented casually. "A bit ruthless, but quick and effective."

"Eh, fighting people is much more exciting. Grimm feel like they are made of butter, always dying after a couple of hits. It's kind of boring," the blonde shrugged arrogantly.

"Yeah, I have to agree. Fighting other people is much more exciting," Ruby pitched in. Weiss merely sighed.

"I suppose," the silver-haired girl commented. "Although I wouldn't know, seeing as I have yet to fight any Grimm as of this initiation. Ruby took all the fun."

"Psh…" Ruby waved off, giggling a little. "You're just too slow," the girl finished. Weiss scowled at her, causing Ruby to burst into a fit of uncontrolled laughter.

"We should probably head back now. We got our pieces, so we just need to head back to the cliffs," Yang interrupted as she and Blake turned to head back in the opposite direction. Ruby and Weiss silently agreed as they ran to catch up with the two girls. Meanwhile, Pyrrha, Jaune, Nora, and Ren were left gawking at the sheer strength Yang just displayed. As the four girls walked off, aimlessly chatting towards one another like nothing out of the ordinary just happened, Jaune raised a shaky hand and pointed to the last, disappearing remains of the Deathstalker.

"Did… did she just…"

"Yeah," Pyrrha replied, still in utter disbelief. "She did."

"Awesome…" Nora practically drooled.

Ren merely exhaled, exhaustion starting to overwhelm him.

These next four years were going to be full of excitement, and he couldn't even begin to comprehend what he had signed up for.

=/=

* * *

=/=

Solaris didn't like to admit he got impatient. In fact, he was very tolerant when it came to moments that would test his ire.

However, observing these Saiyan children grow up had been uninteresting and for the most part, uneventful. The only one he had bothered to pay attention to was Weiss Schnee, seeing as she had been the only one so far to unlock the mysterious transformation known as a Super Saiyan. After some brief research, he and Luna had discovered it was a legendary transformation, unlocked during a moment of great emotional anguish. It was somewhat entertaining watching her use the form, but to his great dismay, Weiss had opted against using the form in public. She was limiting herself out of fear, and that was something he could not have.

The other three, however… they were starting to annoy him greatly.

"Arrogant children… taking their abilities for granted!" Solaris fumed. Chronoa stood off to the side; a worried expression covered her features as she also continued to watch through her crystal ball. She had made sure to keep track of all four of them, and so far, they were already proving to be some of the strongest warriors on the planet! "What a pathetic display. It's like I feared… the Grimm are nothing but toys to them. What were we thinking placing our only hope of survival on such a weak planet?" he growled. To his side, Luna simply rolled her eyes.

"You are over exaggerating, my Lord. We expected this, and thus we have come to our first problem. How are they to grow stronger without proper obstacles to overcome? Every great fighter must overcome their weakness, or an enemy that stands in their way if they wish to grow. The only question is, how exactly are we supposed to do this without interfering too much?" Luna hummed, a finger on her chin in thought. Chronoa continued to stare into her crystal ball, replaying the events of Weiss's first transformation against her sister. The sudden transformation had shocked her, and she could _feel_ the power being transmitted through the ball!

"If Weiss is capable of such a transformation, we need to be careful what we send at them," Chronoa mused quietly. "If we send something too weak, she'll just transform and destroy it, but if we send something too strong, it might overwhelm the other three. What are we supposed to do? We don't want to kill them after all the trouble we went through to help create them!"

"Tch," Solaris spat sourly. "Maybe they deserve to be smacked around. After that disgusting display, I have half a mind go down there and give them a taste of true despair. Do they think that this is a game!?" Solaris roared, his anger building, causing the planet to shake violently. Luna sighed and smacked the God upside the head. He turned around angrily to find Luna glaring at him. She raised a single finger and waggled it back and forth like a mother scolding a child.

"Control yourself," she ordered. The God huffed childishly before returning to his seat. "They are just children. They deserve to have some fun. After all, they are the hope of our Universe. However, Chronoa does bring up a good point. They need to be challenged. We cannot let them stagnate and grow comfortable. I believe it's time we intervened, even if it is a minor interference," the angel finished as she tapped her staff. A hologram popped up above her staff, sifting through all the various types of Grimm.

"What are you proposing?" the Kai asked, standing up and strolling over towards the angel. "Are we going to do something with the Grimm?"

"Perhaps," Luna smirked as various images of different Grimm continued to change just above her staff. Solaris hummed to himself as his eyes observed, looking at the different types of Grimm. What were they supposed to do to give these girls a challenge? He needed the other three of them to attain the same form as the Schnee. Right now the silver-haired girl had a massive advantage over the other three, and Solaris knew if they were ever going to even have a slither of a chance to stand up to him, they would _all_ need to master that form.

None of these pathetic creatures were even remotely strong enough to give those four a decent challenge. They needed a proper life or death battle. They needed to learn that they weren't invincible, and he needed them to learn that as soon as possible. So far those girls had walked through life with absolutely nothing to stand equal to them. It was sickening watching these four teens cruise through their days without a care in the world. He needed to fix that, and as his eyes glazed over the Grimm, an idea started to come together.

"Luna," Solaris started, the angel turning her attention to her God. "Would it be possible to make these creatures stronger?"

"I wouldn't know until we tried. They are lifeless creatures, created through mystical means," Luna explained as she continued to view the different types of Grimm. "They've been around since mankind first walked the planet, and the two have been locked in a never-ending battle. If we were to make the Grimm stronger, then mankind would surely perish."

"That's not exactly what I meant," Solaris retorted, causing Luna to raise her eyes, curiosity clear in her gaze. "I was thinking about empowering a certain group of Grimm, and then sending them to attack the girls, or at least cause enough trouble to get their attention."

"It would be rather hard, considering they are now attending a school for fighters," Chronoa cut in. "We'd have to be very attentive to empower the Grimm depending on the situation when they are out, so that they _can_ be attacked."

"A rather easy solution," Luna noted with a confident smirk. "Whenever they are sent out on missions, we will interfere and make things more difficult for them. How does that sound?"

"Spectacular," Solaris grinned. "I can't wait to see them eat dirt."

Chronoa couldn't help but sigh.

" _I'm helping make their lives even more difficult. What kind of Supreme Kai does that!?_ " her screams echoed inside her head, the question going unanswered.

"Should this not work, don't you have someone on the planet capable of challenging the girls? A certain pink skinned Majin?" Luna questioned, curious as to what Solaris had planned for her. She had some ideas about what he wanted her to do. She'd like to think that 21 was a backup plan in case everything else fell to pieces.

"Ah… her," the God mused, a smirk crossing his features. "While I would love to see those girl Saiyan girls throw their heads against the figurative brick wall that is 21, I want to keep that little opportunity open. Empowering the Grimm are the first step. Little 21 can be step two," he finished. Luna stifled a small chuckle at his calm tone.

"What is step three, my Lord?"

"I'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Let's just see if those four girls can _survive_ the first two first.

It seemed like these girls were about to get a reality check.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **That about wraps things up for chapter seven. I'm kind of happy with the way things a coming along. I'm trying not to rush this, and exploring what team RWBY would be like if they were half-Saiyans. There will be differences to their personality from canon, that much goes without saying. Also, do note that I might have some pacing issues in this story when it comes to the girls achieving Super Saiyan.  
**

 **Firstly, I don't plan on any of the girls achieving Super Saiyan 3. Yang would look ridiculous as a Super Saiyan 3 with the amount of hair she already has. Plus, I don't think any of the other girls would look that good as an SSJ3.**

 **Now secondly, I know most people aren't too hot about Super Saiyan 4, because it's mostly a GT concept, but I can't help but entertain the thought of it.  
**

 _ **As of right now, there are no plans for Super Saiyan 4 being included.**_

 **I'll go ahead and make a poll on my profile for it, to see who really cares for it. Who knows, I could write a whole arc around it. I personally like Super Saiyan 4, but I am smart enough to know that it can be a bit of a turn off to readers when it comes out of nowhere.  
**

 **That's all for now folks. I'll see ya later!**


	8. Wildberry

**A/N:**

 **It's been a while, yeah I know, please don't murderify me. This story is still alive. I won't let it die so easily. I've just been planning and doing a lot of thinking. You know, ever since Volume 6 hit the scene and lots of things have changed. There's still a lot of wiggle room I can have for these so-called 'Gods' of Remnant. Let it be known, I'm not a fan of them. I think they might be just a tad arrogant and assholish.**

 **Know that they won't be getting off scot-free in this story. No can do, they will get what's coming to them.**

 **Now, onto another matter of debate. Super Saiyan Four!**

 **Wow… just Wow. Honestly, I wasn't expecting to see it so split down the middle. Partly the reason why this chapter is so late is I wanted to see what you guys thought of the idea. Someone did point out that the votes for 'No' jumped up in one day so either someone really doesn't want to see SSJ4 in the story, or quite a few people thought about it and decided to vote on the same day. Either way, not exactly a big deal.**

 **Whether or not I decide to include it comes down to me at the end of the day. SSJ4 would be a transformation that would set them aside from their dads, and I like that idea. Don't worry about the moon being broken. Who said the girls would be on Remnant when they would achieve the form anyway? Haha, Remnant's moon being destroyed isn't a factor I'm worried about.**

 **My reasoning for excluding SSJ3 is that everyone aside from maybe Ruby would look comical with hair that long, not to mention Yang. I might consider SSJ3. Not sure, it's still very far off. Got to get them all to SSJ2 before we can dive into transformations beyond that after all. So far, all of them will be going as far as Super Saiyan Two.**

 **I do have plans for Super Saiyan God and Blue, but that's so far off I don't really even need to worry about it right now. Besides, it probably won't be Blue at all, except for maybe Weiss. I had discussed with some of my editors that their Aura color would influence their appearance when it gets to that form. Like I said, way far off for now.**

 **Nothing is set in stone quite yet. Anything could really change to be quite honest.**

 **That being said, enjoy the chapter! I know it's short, but I promised myself I'd keep them between 5-7k and not stress myself by making them as long as This War of Mine chapters.**

* * *

 _Chapter Eight: WildBerry_

"P-Please!"

The terrified cries of a White Fang member sounded out as he scurried across the floor. The entire hideout on the edge of Vale had been annihilated in less than a minute. Their attacker had… somehow come from the sky! It was almost maddening to think about or even consider the possibility, but the chaos spoke for itself. The small warehouse had holes in the ceiling and multiple walls had been scorched black.

Bodies littered the area, both unconscious and deceased.

"I don't know anything about them! I swear! I ain't heard any of those names before!" he cried. A silhouette stalked towards him, the figure's shadow cast by the small amounts of fire that littered the area. The light from the flames hit the humanoid figure, revealing a female with pale skin, blue eyes and a black and red checkered dress. She had long wavy brown hair, black tights, and boots. Her scowl was ever present as she glared at the groveling human beneath her.

"I'm getting tired of people lying to me. I'll ask you one last time. Weiss Schnee, Ruby Rose, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Branwen. Do you or do you not recognize these names?" she spoke slowly, making sure to state the names clearly. She was steadily losing her patience. The hunt for these White Fang terrorists had only started because they had some history with the Schnee family. She was hoping to get a lead on this 'Weiss' character that Lord Solaris had informed her about. Unfortunately, the existence of Weiss Schnee seemed to be some kind of laughable mystery.

She silently cursed Solaris for not telling her where they all were. Part of her believed he did it on purpose to create entertainment for himself. He seemed like the type of person to take pleasure in watching other people waste their time.

"I'm telling you!" the grunt pleaded. "I ain't ever heard of 'em! I know every member of the Schnee family and I ain't ever heard of no 'Weiss' being apart of 'em!"

21 raised a hand, pointing a single finger at the man. He squirmed in fear as a small pink dot of light shot from her index finger and impacted him in the head. Whether or not he died didn't make a difference to her. She didn't even bother to check. It wasn't like these people really mattered to her anyway. The God of Destruction had made it very clear that her goal was finding these four girls and helping them develop their powers. A rather bizarre request if she had to say, but given the context, she honestly wasn't surprised.

"The entire existence of our universe is at stake here and I'm flying around chasing shadows," 21 muttered in annoyance. She turned and walked away, stretching out her senses to see if there was anyone still worth interrogating. She tried the nice way and had been brushed off too many times. Violence always seemed to get people to talk whether they wanted to or not. So whatever produced the results she needed. The last thing she wanted to do was disappoint the God of Destruction and give him a reason to kill her.

"Come out," 21 exclaimed boredly. "Or I'll make you."

A tiny blur appeared a couple of feet away from the human disguised Majin. 21 arched her eyebrows at this new character. Clearly female if the body shape was any indication. She had multi-colored hair and eyes, a tiny form, carried an umbrella, and dressed in a fashionable white and brown get up. 21 immediately figured she wasn't a part of the crowd she had just finished devastating. If anything, this new girl had been observing the carnage. She must have been pretty confident to face her after all the chaos.

"You're an interesting little thing," 21 noted with a slight curve to her lips. "Quite strong as well from what I'm sensing. Far stronger than any of these morons," 21 gestured behind her at all the bodies. The girl bowed causing 21 to tilt her head slightly at the action. Then the girl lifted her scroll and pointed it towards 21. The Majin squinted to read the enlarged text from a distance.

"N… Neo. Neapolitan?" 21 queried. Neo nodded with a small grin. "I'm going to assume that's your name?"

Once again, Neo nodded.

"I see, don't suppose you could use your mouth to communicate? Or am I asking too much?"

Neo shrugged nonchalantly causing 21 to sigh heavily. So this girl was apparently a mute. This wasn't something 21 exactly had the patience for if the bodies all around them were any indication. If this mute had enough courage to stand and face her, then surely she had some worthwhile information.

"You know who I'm looking for, don't you?" 21 drawled lowly, coming to the conclusion rather quickly. It wasn't like she was a fool. She could see it in the girl's posture and the way she carried herself. Just standing before her was enough to tell 21 that this 'Neo' had the information she was looking for. All it would take is a little intimidation and life-threatening to get it out of her. Either all of that…

Or she was insane.

" _How about a compromise?"_ Neo wrote. 21 scowled, her power flaring slightly. Neo didn't seem to flinch, but there was a shadow of fear that flashed through her eyes. A compromise? For what? What could this girl possibly want from her in exchange for the information? But then again, if she threatened to kill the girl, she might not get the information at all. After all, Neo was brave enough to face her head on. This suicidal mute had guts, and that was something 21 begrudgingly respected.

After all, she too had stood up to a power might higher than her own at the risk of being completely destroyed.

"Waste my time and I'll kill you, understand?" 21 said, her tone deathly. Neo merely smirked causing 21 to frown further. "What kind of compromise did you have in mind?"

" _You look, capable,"_ Neo wrote, gesturing to their surroundings. There was an eerie atmosphere, accompanied by the sound of flickering flames. " _Not many people can wipe out a White Fang outpost that is armed to the teeth in Atlas Tech. Single-handedly might I add._ "

"Really," 21 drawled in an unimpressive tone. No one had even been fast enough to react to her. She had made short work of every single grunt in the outpost. Their power was barely even impressive enough to raise an eyebrow at. "If you have a point you're trying to make, I'd suggest getting to it very quickly. I have very limited patience."

" _I have the information you want, but nothing in this world comes free."_

"Of course it doesn't," 21 muttered sourly. Nothing ever seemed to be easy for her. Escaping from the other Majins was hard enough. Her luck had to be awful to land on the one planet that the God of Destruction seemed to be interested in.

" _My associates and I are in a bit of a bind. We could you someone of your… talents. You interested?_ "

"I could just kill you," 21 drawled, causing Neo to roll her eyes. "However I've been searching for these girls for days and I'm growing tired of running around in circles trying to find four people based on their names alone."

" _Is that a yes?"_

"I'll do your dirty work. Do wrong by me and I'll make your death painful. Do we have an agreement?"

" _I like you, :)"_

21 growled softly.

Just what in the name of sanity had she gotten herself into?

=/=

* * *

=/=

While most of the other students were still seemingly exhausted and recovering from their initiation, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang were sitting comfortably next to each other in the audience as they watched multiple pairs of students walk up onto the stage in teams of four.

This was the traditional post-initiation ceremony, and all year groups were present for it; this was a school after all. Third and fourth-year students sat toward the back of the room, applauding the new first-year students as they strolled up to the stage when Ozpin called for them.

Glynda was there as always, standing next to him typing away at her scroll, no doubt entering in the details as Ozpin talked. Now that the teams were being formed, the two pairs of girls were hoping they were going to get teamed up. Weiss and Blake had noted that they all seemed to get on well with one another, and their synergy was quite good, despite not having fought as a team yet. Ruby and Yang preferred to be teamed up because they liked each others' partners.

Despite this, the girls couldn't help but feel slightly underwhelmed at the students walking up on stage. Most of them seemed weak and unimportant from their perspectives and none of them looked particularly interesting to start a fight with.

This more or less bothered Ruby, but she hid her disappointment well, considering her mother had told her not to expect many challenges until she reached her third or fourth year. Summer and Raven had both told their daughters that some students took a while to fully develop their style of fighting. They had the advantage, seeing as they had already slipped comfortably into an effective fighting style.

Weiss watched with intrigue as Ozpin just finished up naming team Cardinal, or 'CRDL' for short. It was a rather foolish and dull looking team, but they seemed to be strong in their own right. They had been one of the best to perform in the initiation from what it seemed, and Ozpin's words of praise clearly were enough to boost their ego. They had been the first to get back to the cliff's edge with their relics. While she and Ruby had been the first to pick up their relics, the red-caped teen had preferred to chase and ride a Nevermore, instead of completing their objective. They seemed like the type of people to show off their achievements and use them to hold over other people's heads.

Next, Ozpin called up Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren. Weiss paid a bit more attention when Pyrrha's name had been called. Having chatted to the girl before the initiation exam, she had gotten to know the red-headed girl. Popular cereal mascot and a renowned prodigy from Sanctum Academy in Mistral. Weiss didn't know much about Mistral, but she knew that it did produce some strong huntsmen. Even after some thorough research, Weiss had managed to figure out that Pyrrha Nikos was a name almost held at celebrity status amongst the people of Mistral. She was renowned as the 'Invincible Girl', seeing as she had never been hit in a tournament.

"You shall be known as team Juniper, and led by Jaune Arc," Ozpin stated. There was a round of applause from the audience as Pyrrha gave the blonde a little knock on his shoulder. The boy stumbled a bit but kept his balance. Yang and Ruby snickered a little at the blonde male's shocked reaction to being named team leader. Weiss couldn't exactly understand the choice. Sure there was merit to naming the boy a leader. There was the idea that the strongest person in a team shouldn't be named leader because it would cause unbalance. She wondered what qualities the blonde haired teen had, because strength and power definitely were ones he did _not_.

"For our next team, could Weiss Schnee, Ruby Rose, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Branwen please make their way to the stage."

Weiss _froze_ , a cold sweat starting to form.

As she and her -soon to be- team stood up, she fearfully looked out of the corner of her eye to see the three of them staring at her in complete shock. Her hands balled into fists as an unbearable sickly feeling circled in her stomach. She couldn't even find the courage to stare them in the eyes when she started to hear whispers from the crowd behind them. Murmurs and animosity were so thick you could probably cut it with a knife! She knew that some of the people around the campus knew her name, but she had always kept her last name close to her chest. Only the teachers and some trustworthy fourth-year students knew.

" _Schnee_?" Ruby whispered in confusion. Yang gave her a similar look while Blake just narrowed her eyes.

"I… I can e-explain later. Please, c-can we just get this over with?" Weiss stammered, fear lacing her every word. The other three seemed to pick up on it rather easily, giving each other a concerned look for the girl dressed in white. Everything about the name just seemed to freak the girl out and give off a vibe of utter self-loathing. It wasn't hard to guess a theory as to why. A faunus in the Schnee family? What misery had she endured while living at home? They could only imagine what Weiss had been through.

As the four walked up on stage, Weiss did her best not to look nervous or terrified. Every few seconds, she would give in and glance toward the crowd. While some seemed to be staring at her other three teammates, the majority of the audience had their eyes on her… or her _tail_ that seemed to wave nervously behind her. Unconsciously, her fear commanded her tail to curl up and around her waist so it wasn't waving about for everyone to see. The murmurs and whispering of the crowd intensified as Weiss started to chew her lip. A small reassuring nudge from Blake, who walked behind her gave her the courage to keep moving forward.

"The four of you retrieved the White Knight pieces. Henceforth, you shall be working together under the name; Team WBRY (Wildberry)," Ozpin stated. Weiss, Ruby, Blake, and Yang managed to smile, the first former managing to force it slightly under her nerves. With so many things on her mind, she had completely forgotten that Ozpin and been saying full names upon their entrance to the stage. While her identity as a Schnee had been rumored due to her attire and grace, people had brushed it off because she was undoubtedly a faunus.

"Led by, Weiss Schnee."

For those who had missed her name previously, they definitely knew now.

Apprehensive applause broke out amongst the crowd. It was still as loud as it was for the previous teams, but everybody, even the newly formed team WBRY could sense that the people were just as interested, yet confused, at the reveal of Weiss's last name. Glynda had glanced nervously over towards Ozpin who wore a normal, confident expression, something that he had always worn. It had not once changed, and didn't show any signs of concern since the moment the name came out of his mouth. There was an obvious chatter amongst the audience when the clapping died down and WBRY exited the stage, Weiss being more keen to get out of the limelight.

They returned to their seats and resumed watching the rest of the ceremony, while Weiss continuously tried to avoid eye contact with anyone that wasn't her team. While Ruby and Yang subtly celebrated about being on a team they could generally connect with, Weiss tried her best not to ruin the mood, but it seemed like she could only gaze at the floor and curse repeatedly inside her head that she was a faunus. This tail of hers had brought her nothing but grief, but the last thing she wanted to do was get it removed. It was a part of her identity… what made her… Weiss. Despite the pain and misery it had brought her, she couldn't bear the thought of being without it.

After the ceremony, the newly minted team WBRY made their way to their new dorm room, which Ozpin had taken the liberty of making Weiss's current room. With a quick update to their scrolls, they were able to access their new dorm room.

Each girl filtered in smoothly taking in the room around them while Weiss went straight for her bed and sat down, her miserable and distraught mood obvious to everyone present. While the other teams were unpacking the essentials and getting ready for bed, team WBRY was more or less, waiting for the inevitable discussion.

"So," Blake started, dropping down onto her bed and crossing her legs. "Schnee, huh? While surprising, I can't exactly say it wasn't obvious… given what you're wearing," she finished, leaning back. Weiss refused to open her mouth until all of her teammates had voiced their opinions' on the matter. Every faunus knew and loathed the Schnee name. She couldn't think of a single faunus she had ever met that didn't have some kind of disdain for her father's company. Most, if not every faunus hated the Schnee name, and _everyone_ knew how her _family_ treated the faunus.

Ruby and Yang didn't actually seem that bothered about her being a Schnee if their expressions were anything to go by. In fact, neither did Blake. They all seemed to just stare at her, waiting for her to give her side of the story. Nothing in Blake's initial tone gave any sort of indication that the bowed haired girl disliked her because of her heritage. Weiss couldn't help but imagine what they were thinking.

"You…" Weiss started, meeting her teammate's eyes one by one. "You guys don't hate me now do you?"

"Why would we hate you?" Yang questioned, clearly annoyed at the question. Ruby shrugged and smiled, agreeing with her sister's point.

"Yeah, why do you think we would hate you? I mean, I know the Schnee family isn't exactly popular among our kind but you haven't done anything to make us think you're like them," Ruby explained as she walked over and sat down next to her partner. She lazily threw an arm over her friend and pulled Weiss closer to her. "Come on, you really think we are the kind of people to hate you over something as stupid as your name? You've been nothing but nice and kind since I met you!"

"I… have issues," Weiss started, causing Blake to snort.

"That goes without saying. I thought I had it bad… a faunus like you, born into a family that hates faunus-kind? Must have been Hell," she retorted, a slither of sympathy in her voice. Weiss had noted a rough edge to Blake's voice, like the girl knew what kind of pain she had gone through. There was a hint of respect, a hint of anger, and a little bit of something else that gave Weiss a little peace of mind. "You don't need to go into detail if you don't want to. I can see just how frigid you are about the subject. You looked terrified when Professor Ozpin called your name out while appointing our team."

"Yeah… you looked like you were gonna puke or something. You don't seem like the kinda girl to be that scared of something," Yang commented, leaping onto her bed and hanging her legs over the end of the mattress.

"I'll give you an abridged version, since you're my new teammates. You deserve to know that much about me," Weiss started with a sigh. "Long story short, I was forbidden by my father to ever step outside our house. I was given what I wanted to shut me up, and I ate dinner in my room alone. It wasn't until I was thirteen that my sister took me away from home. My spiteful father did everything he could to try and keep me there to protect the identity of the Schnee name. If it ever comes to it, I'd rather die than return home to him," she finished. Blake and Yang just stared at her, their eyes filled to the brim with sympathy while Ruby threw her arms around the girl's neck.

"What an asshole," Yang spat. "If I ever see him, I'll cripple him for life. That'll teach him to do that again…" the girl muttered hatefully. Blake had to agree.

"I don't think you'd want to know what I'd do to him if I were to ever meet him," Blake muttered ominously. Weiss merely sighed while Ruby gazed at her other teammates with concern in her eyes. She was supposed to be the impulsive, reckless idiot, and this conversation wasn't putting her in the right state of mind. Her mother, Summer, had always told her to direct her anger and frustration towards the Grimm. No human being, regardless of how evil or bad they seemed, deserved to be hurt for what they'd done. She was taught that revenge was the wrong path to tread, and to always be the better person.

Forgiveness and tolerance to those who could not learn.

Another vast difference between her and Yang. Her older sister absolutely believed in revenge. An eye for an eye.

"While I despise the man for what he has done to me, I do not wish death upon him," Weiss replied softly. "It's not right. Wishing death upon someone is not the right way to go, and it only makes things worse. It's better to take the higher road, and be the better person. While I am terrified of what people think of me, I still have pride in myself for who I am. I am a strong and capable huntress, and I intend to show everyone that. I'm not just some… bastard child that was unlucky enough to be born a faunus into the Schnee name."

"That's the spirit, Weiss!" Ruby grinned. "And as a team, we will support you! We'll all get stronger together, and become the best team to come out of Beacon! I guarantee it!"

"Who made you the leader?" Blake smirked, her gaze turning to Ruby. The red-caped girl shrugged.

"Just because I'm being positive doesn't make me a leader. Besides, could you imagine me as a leader? Gosh, I couldn't think of anything worse! I'm glad Weiss got that position! She's smart and strong! I'd run this team into the ground if I were at the helm," Ruby laughed. Yang merely chuckled at Ruby's impossibly positive outlook on life. To this day, she still couldn't understand it, but the older sister couldn't lie, it had grown on her and started to affect her a long time ago.

"Aw, I don't think so," Yang cut in. "I think you'd make a pretty good leader, Sis. Your mom was the leader of her team, and she's pretty smart," the charcoal haired girl pointed out. Ruby snorted and waved her off. While it was true that Summer was the leader of team STRQ, Ruby had no drive to lead a team.

She was well aware that she was impulsive and a bit clumsy at times, and she was sure that leaders couldn't afford to be like that. Ruby didn't doubt Ozpin had picked up on that fact during the initiation exam. Weiss seemed like the most level-headed out of all of them, but she also seemed to have confidence issues, especially revolving around the subject of her family.

"Oh well, I didn't want to be leader anyway. I think Weiss will suit the position far better than I would. I'm happy following her lead. So, that being said," Ruby jumped off her bed and immediately saluted her partner, much to everyone's surprise. "What is the first order of business ma'am?" the red themed girl asked in the most respectful tone possible. Weiss just laughed while Blake and Yang merely chuckled at the display before them. Ruby certainly knew how to make a scene and lighten up the mood.

"Ruby, please don't call me that. I don't think being the leader of the team gives me the right to boss you all around. That doesn't seem right. I feel like this position should only be relevant in battle, or when it comes to administration… you know like making sure all of us are on time to a class, or if one of us is sick, I'll have to report that to the medical center. I don't think the leader role is _that_ important," Weiss retorted softly. She glanced briefly at the clock to see that it was almost eleven at night. The ceremony had started as the sun went down and didn't finish for some time. Perhaps it was time to get some sleep.

"It's late," Blake yawned slightly. "Maybe we should talk about this at some other time, but Weiss is right, the leader role can be established later. No offense, but I really didn't care who was going to be named leader. As long as nobody is bossing me around and telling me what I should be doing, I have no issues," the bowed girl finished. The rest agreed, Weiss included. The silver-haired girl had lived most of her life under strict rule and supervision. The last thing she wanted to do was impose that feeling on other people. There was nothing she had wanted more than to be free. Weiss wasn't about to take advantage of the role she was given to order her three teammates around.

"Yeah, it's pretty late. If you girls don't mind, I'ma hit the hay. Night!" Yang said, crawling under the covers, her tail lazily hanging over the side of the bed. Blake and Ruby did the same while Weiss proceeded to do her normal routine. She still couldn't believe all of this was happening, and her happiness over it was more than she could have ever imagined. Three girls, her age and they all had tails, just like hers. She finally felt like she belonged somewhere. As she got up from her bed and walked into the bathroom, she couldn't help but let a few tears of joy fall down her cheeks.

Finally, she was right where she belonged.

=/=

* * *

=/=

"Hello?"

The voice was muffled, followed by three consecutive knocks. It was so loud and thunderous to the four sleeping girls that it managed to stir more than half the team. Weiss slowly rose out of her bed while Blake and Ruby yawned and sat up, stretching their arms. Yang just grumbled and attempted to throw the covers over her head, but failed miserably. After a few moments, the three girls that were awake turned and looked at each other to see if any of them knew what the noise was. Then the knocking came once more.

"Hello? It's Pyrrha. I just came to check on you to see if everything was alright," the redheaded huntress in training said once more. Weiss grumbled slightly and climbed out of bed and headed towards the door. She was still in her nightwear, a white, knee-length gown. She made her way to the door as Blake and Ruby started to climb out of bed, the former attempting to shake her sister awake. The sun was pouring through their curtains, so it was clearly morning.

Weiss opened the door slightly to see the girl standing there dressed completely in her uniform and everything. She looked like she had been up for hours. Her hair wasn't even wet from a shower. It was nicely tied back into a ponytail, and she even wore her golden headdress that seemed to circle her head. Weiss couldn't understand how the girl constantly wore something like that. It looked quite uncomfortable considering it was made of metal.

"Hello, Pyrrha. Is there a problem? We were sleeping," Weiss retorted. Pyrrha's features morphed into something of shock and worry, causing the snow themed girl to raise an eyebrow.

"Sleeping? Weiss, it's almost midday. You've missed the first two classes!" the amazon girl exclaimed. The reaction was almost instantaneous. Ruby and Blake heard what Pyrrha had said from back in the room. Yang, still groggy managed to push herself up, her lengthy charcoal hair a complete mess. Weiss's eyes shrunk in utter terror. That couldn't be right! How could they have possibly missed class and overslept by at least four hours!? She wasn't normally this sleepy, and even then, when she would somehow sleep over her alarm, she would only wake up around nine or ten o'clock!

"WHAT!?" Weiss practically screamed. Her head snapped towards the clock on the wall, it's display reading 11:50 in the morning. A small spark of panic exploded in her body as she zipped away from the door and started rapidly doing what she could to get ready. She threw off her clothes, throwing away what shred of modesty she had. Ruby and Pyrrha rushed to cover their eyes. Blake seemed to agree with Weiss, throwing off her clothes as well. Never mind that the door was wide open, the two girls rushed around the room, in their birthday suits, gathering their school uniforms.

"I can't believe it! My first day and I've overslept by four hours!" Weiss cried as she pulled her underwear on and pulled up her school uniform skirt. Blake was practically tied with her silver-haired teammate in their rush to get their school clothes on. The cat faunus partially cursed her sleeping habits, knowing they were awful when it came to dedication to get up out of bed. She had been hoping her teammates would wake her up. Evidently, that didn't happen, and they all seemed to share the same horrible sleeping habits.

"G-Goodness!" Pyrrha spluttered, a blush tainting her face as she peeked through the gaps in her fingers. "W-Would you like me to close the door?" she questioned. Pyrrha received no answer as Weiss and Blake began buttoning their shirts and blazers. Throwing on socks and shoes, they were done in less than a minute, all while Ruby watched, Yang still trying to adjust to being woken up. The young Branwen lazily got up and headed towards the bathroom, stripping in the process. Pyrrha couldn't believe the lack of modesty and care this team had when they weren't thinking.

It was their first day together! How could they be _this_ comfortable already!? She still had trouble adjusting to the fact that Jaune was sleeping in the bed next to her! Pyrrha was also pretty sure she wouldn't have been comfortable with Nora seeing her naked just yet.

"First dibs on the shower," Yang mumbled softly, closing the door behind her and locking it. Blake and Weiss paid no attention to the brawler's words as they immediately set on doing their hair, since they had finished getting dressed. Ruby sat on her bed, still in her pajamas, seemingly unworried about the fact that they had missed two classes already. Pyrrha raised an eyebrow to this.

"Aren't you concerned that you have missed two classes?" she asked. Ruby merely shrugged.

"Eh, we're all in trouble either way. I don't see why rushing now would make a difference."

Pyrrha had to admit, the smaller girl had a point. They had missed Grimm Studies with Professor Port, and Vale history with Doctor Oobleck. The next class was after lunch, and it would be the first combat class they would have for the year. Pyrrha had to admit, after yesterday's performance from team WBRY, she was quite eager to test herself out against these four individuals. They all seemed strong and capable in their own right, disregarding their… strange habits she had just witnessed. She was silently thankful that Jaune was as organized as he seemed. Early start, seven thirty in the morning.

Team JNPR had unpacked and rearranged their room.

Team WBRY's room… was a complete mess.

"Oh, I see," Pyrrha commented awkwardly, glancing at Weiss and Blake who were furiously brushing their hair and making sure they were presentable. "Well, I only came by to see if everything was okay. I guess I'll see you in the next class?"

"Yeah! Sure, we'll be there," Ruby retorted. Pyrrha nodded, politely waving goodbye before closing the door. Weiss and Blake didn't even notice and Yang was in the shower, leaving her just sitting there on her bed. She couldn't help but lament on the fact that that was Pyrrha Nikos, the legendary prodigy she had heard about so much from Mistral. Ruby absolutely hated the cereal that seemed to sponsor Pyrrha, but regardless, Ruby was looking forward to the idea of sparring against Pyrrha to truly see where she stood amongst her peers. Just because she could sometimes best her mom, didn't mean she would be better than everyone here at Beacon.

Everyone came from different backgrounds, so she was keen to see what everyone's strengths and weaknesses were.

After a few moments, Ruby got up and proceeded to join her team in getting ready, though at not such a rushed pace. She knew Yang would take forever in the shower, and no doubt use up all the hot water, so a shower was out of the question. It looked like she was joining Weiss and Blake in the normalized routine. It took around fifteen minutes for the team to get ready, which was almost record time since Yang had spent more than ten minutes in the shower and doing her hair. Ruby had often complained that Yang took too long, since she had almost the same amount of hair as Raven. After the team was ready, it became quickly apparent that Blake and Yang couldn't wrap their tails around their waist.

"I hate skirts!" Yang bellowed angrily. She couldn't wrap her tail around her waist without lifting up the back of her skirt. Sometimes she hated the cursive appendage, but she wouldn't dare get rid of it. She was proud to be a faunus, and so was Ruby, but she had to admit, there were a lot of downsides when it came to clothing choices. Sometimes they even had to get some pants or skirts custom made for them to wear. Yang had always tried to avoid skirts, seeing as she didn't want to flash her underwear to her opponent every time she went to attack. Ruby solved that issue but just wearing long black pants under her skirt.

"I have to agree," Blake groaned as she attempted to wrap her tail around her waist. It only served to lift up the back of her skirt so her underwear was visible to the world. She would have to let it hang loosely, something which she hated dearly. "This isn't exactly ideal for people like us. They should have given us some more faunus friendly clothing," she finished, giving up and letting her brown tail hang. She couldn't even drop the top of her skirt down, seeing as the tail was too low.

"I don't understand how you two can handle wrapping your tails around your waists for so long. When I do it, mine cramps a lot and it throbs constantly!" Weiss commented, tapping her foot impatiently. Ruby was slipping on her signature red cloak as she joined her partner at the door. Ruby clearly didn't mind it either, and opted to leave her faunus trait waving about. Seeing as her school skirt was shorter than her combat skirt, there was more of her tail to see. Not that Ruby cared, she had never really cared to try and hide it or wrap it around her waist at all. "Also, hurry it up! We've already slept through two classes, and I refuse to be late for combat class!"

"I only wrap mine around my waist because Ruby kept pulling mine when we were kids!" Yang retorted, causing the smaller caped girl to blush in embarrassment. She started to giggle at all the memories of their childhood. "It's just a habit now. Besides, it doesn't get in the way when it's around my waist and your opponent can't grab it," she reasoned. Blake had to agree with her partner, she hated it when some of the kids had decided to pull her tail. She had earlier memories back in Mistral, her childhood had been filled to the brim with bullying. Wrapping her tail around her waist was a habit.

"Psh…" Ruby snorted. "I only pulled your tail when you stole my food. I would never stoop that low when fighting you for real," the black and red haired girl retorted smugly. Yang growled, her crimson eyes glaring holes into Ruby's silver orbs. Her childish grin never once faded as her older sister continued to glare. Raven had forbidden Yang to use such a distasteful tactic against Ruby. It displayed weakness, and once again, Raven hated weakness.

"Moving on," Blake cut in, rolling her eyes dramatically. "We should probably get to combat class. Missing the first two is bad enough as it is, I hardly want to gain a reputation for being a lazy student," she finished as she strolled over to the door and opened it. She went to step out only to find her way blocked by a tall imposing figure. Glancing up, Blake found she was staring into a pair of green eyes, safely behind a pair of glasses. Undoubtedly a woman, due to the long blonde hair and dress she was wearing. In her hand, she held a scroll, and there was not a shred of happiness on her face.

"Oh, crap…" Weiss cursed under her breath. The teacher at their door merely glanced towards Weiss, a frown appearing on her face.

"Indeed," Glynda Goodwitch stated harshly. "It is only your first day, and already you four have missed two very important classes. I am _far_ from impressed with you. However, since it is your first semester here at Beacon, I will let you off with a warning. I have only come here to ensure that this doesn't happen again. Wake up on time, and be prompt to classes, or you will be reprimanded severely. To do that, you might want to fix your _alarm_ ," she suggested, gesturing towards the nightstand that just happened to be next to Yang's bed.

To the utter dismay of team WBRY, broken pieces of what seemed to be a digital dust powered alarm clock were scattered across the table top of the nightstand. Below the pieces, were cracks in the wood, suggesting that someone had smashed the alarm clock with surprising strength. It had been enough to completely obliterate the device, but also, almost break the furniture upon which it stood. Three angry glares turned towards a certain crimson eyed teen who merely groaned in annoyance.

"Okay… so I might have busted the alarm while half asleep. Sue me! The things give me headaches!" Yang defended with a sour tone. Glynda merely rolled her eyes, cutting off any angry retorts from the team members before they had a chance to open their mouths.

"I expect you four in class in the next five minutes, front row. If you are not there by the time I arrive, you will each receive two weeks worth of detention," she stated. There were a few seconds of hesitation before each member of the team literally burst out of the room, zooming past the teacher so fast she had trouble keeping track of them. The door was slammed and locked as the older Professor stumbled back slightly, observing colorful blurs dash down the hallway and out of sight. She pushed her glasses back up her nose and readjusted her hair.

"Wonderful," she grumbled. "I better be getting a raise this year Ozpin. Something tells me those four will be multiple times worse than team STRQ."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Alright well that about wraps everything up for this chapter. I know the updates are long, and to be quite honest, they might get a bit longer due to work starting up and my free time is much more limited than before.**

 **I'll keep the poll up for Super Saiyan Four a while longer. I don't see any harm in it.**

 **See you guys next update.**


	9. Battle of the White Roses

**A/N:**

 **Yo! Time keeps flying by without me being able to keep up with it. I swear, it feels like I only posted chapter eight like two weeks ago, but alas, it's almost been two months. Writing is difficult! Anyway, onto story stuff.**

 **I'll say now that as of Volume Six, elements of the silver eyes have changed a lot, as have their functionality. I think this mostly goes without saying but Silver eyes in this story can be activated whenever, instead of only in the presence of the Grimm. Whether or not it's an actual gift from the God of Light (Aka a very powerful Kai in this story as established in chapter one), is yet to be determined. I will try to incorporate as much as I can from Volume Six, which from my opinion is the best RWBY has to offer to far.**

 **And also for the love of GOD, please stop asking me when the girls will meet Goku and Vegeta. PLEASE. They WILL meet them. Not until the story has reached post volume three. I have to develop the girls first and there's a lot of stuff to cover.**

 **As for the whole "Canon characters read (insert story name here)" thing, I'm fine with it. If you know someone that would be good at it and interested, then feel free. I'm not fussed over the issue and it's not like I could really stop anyone from trying. That's all I really have to say on it. If you've wrote one before, then all the more power to you.**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

 _Chapter Nine: Battle of the White Roses_

Combat class was by far team WBRY's favorite.

Admittedly, they had yet to attend any other classes, but they all knew this is where their talents would truly shine. The four of them were well aware that they excelled in combat, especially hand-to-hand fighting. What made it even better was that combat classes were over twice the length of a standard class, they lasted two hours while every other lesson was forty minutes.

There were a set of bleachers and a large arena in the classroom, something that almost made Ruby drool. It could be compared to the size of a small stadium. The class seated forty-odd students and the arena itself had enough surface area for combatants to maneuver around without risking an out of bounds.

Yang and Blake thought it was rather small, but Weiss didn't care for the specifics. She had been around campus for months before the school year began and had taken the time to observe some of the older year groups; she was impressed at both the kind of damage you could do in such a small area as well as the skill required to fight in it. It forced you to mind your surroundings, something that Winter had continuously lectured her on.

" _Always keep your surroundings in mind, and always pay attention to where you stand as opposed to your enemy. You never know how the environment might aid you in battle."_

As instructed, team WBRY had changed out of their uniforms and into their combat gear, just like every other student that attended the class. They did as they were told and made sure they sat in the front seats, taking extra care not to annoy the deputy headmistress on their first day. As much as they prided themselves on their strength and power, they didn't want to face the wrath of an angry teacher before the first week of the semester was even up. Once you had a bad reputation, it was hard to get rid of it, and team WBRY already seemed to have a bit of a reputation with Weiss Schnee being the leader and missing their first two classes.

Once the lesson started, there was a surprising amount of theory involved. Combat studies, various techniques, and styles that had been given to them to learn on their own time. Mock battles had ground rules set in place, and they would always end when an opponent was either unable to fight back, rendered unconscious, their aura entered the red zone, or they voluntarily surrendered. Professor Goodwitch had also made it very clear that refusing to participate in a match she had called would result in detention or a poor grade. Not that team WBRY had any problems with that rule of course. Fighting was the one thing they all wanted to do, and refusing to battle was a foreign thought to them.

After safety rules were laid out, Glynda had announced that for the first three combat classes, individuals from the same team would be called down to spar together under tournament rules. This was meant to be an exercise to get to know your teammates and to better coordinate how they fought with each other. This way, the team would come to recognize each other's strengths and weaknesses in battle.

The prospect of sparring against each other was enough to get team WBRY's blood boiling.

It was clear, however, that they would have to wait their turn until Glynda decided to call them down.

They had the chance to observe a few boring fights, with some exciting ones sprinkled in here and there. Watching Pyrrha rip into Ren was rather amusing, while Jaune stumbling around was more sad than anything. Ruby had then decided to take back what she said the previous night about him being strong. Sadly, he seemed pathetically weak compared to the other students. Nora was easily able to beat him and knock him out of the arena before he even had the chance to hit her. Ruby cringed as she watched Jaune fly helplessly into the wall, his aura hitting the red zone.

"Poor guy," Yang mumbled. "That girl has got some serious power behind that hammer. I wonder if I could block it?"

"He's not doing himself any favors," Blake added, amber eyes locked onto the boy. Jaune struggled to his feet, only to get a stern lecture by Professor Goodwitch about the use of his tactics, and disregard for his aura. "He doesn't seem to know anything about combat. I wonder how he got into Beacon?"

Before any of team WBRY could add to that conversation, Glynda turned back to the bleachers and called up the next pair.

"Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee, make your way down to the arena and take your places."

Instantaneously, Ruby shot out of her seat, fist-pumping at the prospect of getting to fight. Weiss calmly stood, not even trying to hide her confident smirk. Neither of them said a word as they turned and went their separate ways. Once they had arrived, each of them unclipped their weapons while Glynda walked over toward the machine and prepared to sync their aura levels with the heads up display on the screen above them. Both of them were sitting comfortably in the green.

"How do you want to do this Weiss? Old fashioned, or with weapons?" Ruby questioned with a confident smirk on her face. Weiss glanced at her weapon, twirling it in her hand before impaling it in the ground next to her and taking a few steps forward. Ruby's grin widened. "Alright, old fashioned it is then," she finished, taking out Crescent Rose and mirroring Weiss' actions. Glynda groaned under her breath, rolling her eyes in the process. If they wanted to beat the stuffing out of each other, who was she to stop them from doing so? She was slightly impressed, however, as the two girls slipped into recognizable martial arts stances.

Glynda recognized Ruby's stance immediately. It was the same one Taiyang had used throughout his time at Beacon. She was very familiar with the style, but no doubt the young Rose had her own version of it. Taiyang was a very physical fighter, and Ruby's frame did not account for her father's muscle mass. That style was meant for someone more of Yang's build than anything else, but still… surely Taiyang would have taught her that, so Glynda was banking on the fact that Ruby had something else in mind. As she turned to Weiss, she also recognized the stance the silver-haired Schnee was using.

It was a complex one taught to Atlas specialists. It was commonly used for incapacitation, so clearly Weiss was going for a knockout match here. Winter wasn't much of a martial artist if Glynda's knowledge was accurate, but the older Schnee must have taught Weiss what she knew before the younger sister filled in the gaps on her own. From what Glynda knew of Weiss, her prowess in hand-to-hand combat was phenomenal. She had observed the girl practicing in the early hours of the morning in one of Beacon's gyms. The girl had a form and technique that would make any professional gawk, and certainly make anyone her age look like an absolute amateur.

"Let's see how you do against me, Ruby," Weiss stated smugly. "Try not to disappoint me." Weiss wasn't known to be too arrogant, but her words seemed to encourage Ruby, as the Professor noted the girl itching to get the battle started. At her word, the two would be at each other's throats instantly. She stood off to the side, watching the two students eagerly anticipating the fight.

"You may begin."

The moment the last word left her mouth, the two partners flashed towards each other with incredible speed.

The ground beneath where they had been standing visibly cracked as the teens pushed off. In a mere second, the two collided with each other, throwing all sorts of attacks each other's way. Their expressions were deadly serious upon the start of the battle.

Neither were smiling, and both were going for the win.

It quickly became apparent that Ruby had the edge over Weiss with her smaller body and faster movements. Weiss being taller and a bit slower than her opponent wasn't doing her any favors.

Weiss went in for a kick to the head, only to have it blocked by Ruby casually raising her arm to intercept the attack. Pushing off, Ruby went on the offensive instead, throwing a punch to Weiss's mid-section. The disgraced Schnee rounded off backward before Ruby had the chance to land the hit.

Aggravated that she had missed her attack, Ruby dashed forward to catch up with her opponent. Using her inhuman speed, she managed to close the distance, much to Weiss's dismay. Ducking down, she swept Weiss's legs out from under her and immediately spun, kicking her in the chest. However, Ruby wasn't done yet.

Flashing to the spot where Weiss would land, Ruby delivered a painful kick to the silver-haired girl's lower back. Weiss's momentum carried into Ruby's attack, effectively doubling the power of the hit. She flew across the arena, managing to somewhat steady herself and land on her knees. Weiss huffed as she pushed herself to her feet, the moments of their short encounter running briefly through her head. Where had she made mistakes and what could she use to her advantage in the next bout?

" _She's incredibly fast. Her smaller body allows for quicker movements and consecutive attacks without losing too much stamina. This might be difficult for me, but I have to anticipate where she is going to attack. I have to let her come to me,_ " Weiss thought as she slipped into her stance once again. Ruby was grinning, bouncing on the balls of her feet. It was clear she was enjoying the fight as much as Weiss was. " _While she has speed, her hits aren't that powerful. Her game is wearing people down… sure, I can play that game."_

"Yeah! Go Ruby!" Yang cheered, while Blake was observing the battle with an impressed smirk on her face.

"Come on Weiss, you can do better than that," Blake encouraged, which only made the Schnee's grin widen to match that of the cat faunus. Over to her right, most of the other students were utterly dumbfounded by the speed and strength these two combatants were displaying. They weren't even using their weapons, and yet they were proving themselves to be better than everyone else in their year group!

"This is insane!" Jaune exclaimed, starting to show clear signs of freaking out. "How are you supposed to fight someone who you can't even see move!? They're so fast!" His hands gripped the table in front of him with enough force to leave marks. The blonde was starting to have second thoughts attending Beacon. If _these_ were the type of people he was going to be training against every day, he should have done the smart thing and stayed home! This was one of the first fights of the year, and already those two girls were at a level he could never hope to match!

"I never thought it was possible to move _that_ fast," Ren commented, intrigue clear in his eyes. "I can only just keep up with Weiss's movements."

"What? They're that fast?" Nora whined childishly. "I can't even see them until they stop to look at each other! How is that even allowed?" she questioned. Her query went unanswered as she was met with nothing but silence. Pyrrha, on the other hand, was staring with wide eyes down at the arena before her. Her hands were shaking in anticipation of sparring against these girls. Had she finally found other huntresses that were better than her? She had so much trouble following Ruby's movements that she found herself lagging behind the fight a few times.

"Incredible…" the scarlet-haired girl murmured. It was almost too good to be true. There were others that were stronger than her here at Beacon! _Far_ stronger! Maybe she wouldn't be held in such high regard after all! Pyrrha could only imagine what it would be like to fight one of them in a sparring match like this. They didn't seem to be holding back either!

The two girls in the arena stood off once again, daring each other to move. Childish impatience getting to her, Ruby was the first one to act, flashing toward Weiss once again with speed that would impress even the fastest of huntsmen. Weiss moved to match her opponent, and they collided with each other at the center of the arena. A small shock wave radiating from their mirrored fists. Both females clenched their teeth from the pain. They went in for another attack, their actions almost reflecting.

Right hook.

Left side kick.

A knee to the abdomen.

Each attack they tried to hit each other with failed as they seemed to mirror each other perfectly.

Two unstoppable forces slamming against each other, determined to overwhelm and crush the other.

After a few more stalemated hits, Ruby retreated backward and vanished from sight, opting to use her unmatched talent in speed to try and catch Weiss off-guard.

Weiss barely managed to follow her partner's movements with intense concentration, and with an accurate prediction, she turned and thrust her elbow behind her, just in time for Ruby to appear to take the hit. The smaller girl stumbled back from the initial blow, giving Weiss the time to set up a proper attack. The Schnee quickly delivered five lightning fast kicks to the girl's stomach and finished with a devastating spin kick to the chest.

The red-caped girl was sent tumbling backward but was intercepted by Weiss again, who grabbed one of her ankles. Lifting her up, she used her strength to pull Ruby into the air, before slamming her into the ground again. The girl gagged from the impact, all the air escaping her lungs. With Weiss still holding on to Ruby's leg, the sapphire-eyed Schnee placed her foot upon Ruby's chest and applied enough pressure to pin her partner to the ground. Ruby struggled under the weight while Weiss just smirked.

"I think I've won this little competition of ours," she smirked arrogantly. Ruby growled as she tried to get out from under Weiss's foot. However, as much as she tried to wrench her partner's foot off her chest, she could not seem to escape. Glynda absently looked up to the board to see that both of the girls were still in the _green_ zone for aura levels. Ruby had only just dropped to eighty-five percent while Weiss was sitting comfortably at ninety.

Her eyebrows furrowed.

" _This can't be right,_ " the professor thought curiously. They had traded so many blows but yet… their aura was barely decreasing? At this rate, the fight would go on for a half hour!

"Get off me!" Ruby snapped as she pushed more power into her hands. Weiss's foot didn't budge, and Ruby's fruitless struggles only caused Weiss to laugh. Weiss applied more pressure, sapping more of Ruby's strength as she tried to break free. The girl coughed but refused to surrender. A brief glance at Professor Goodwitch told Ruby that she was about to declare Weiss the winner. She was still able to fight, she wasn't going to go out like this! Hell no!

Ruby Rose did not lose like this!

"I'll get off when you concede the match," Weiss retorted, an amused smile on her face. Ruby growled, her silver eyes flashing for a brief second.

"I said…" Ruby's silver eyes flashed once more. Glynda's breath hitched, disbelief in her eyes.

Weiss suddenly lost control of her body, her limbs locking up.

"GET OFF ME!" Ruby pushed with all of her strength. The Schnee was thrown backward, her breathing labored and eyes wide. Something had happened just then, and she had no idea what had caused it. Temporary paralysis? Was that Ruby's semblance? Her eyes just flashed, and suddenly she had lost control of her body, if only for a moment. Ruby had used that to push her off and keep the fight going.

Glancing over towards the red-caped girl, she was pushing herself to her feet, one hand on her forehead. She looked like she was in pain, or suffering from some kind of a headache. After a few moments, Weiss managed to shake off the strange feeling and turn to Ruby. The smaller girl was still holding her head in pain, but she too managed to shake it off, or at least ignore it for the most part. Both of them were breathing heavily, a clear sign of exhaustion starting to set in. That was strange, seeing as neither of them had been fighting for a full five minutes yet.

The two glared at each other, lost in the heat of battle.

They weren't partners, they weren't friends. The only thing that mattered was the fight.

Each of them were determined to win.

Ruby growled, blinking the blurriness out of her eyes. Her focused zeroed in on Weiss who had already recovered from her trump card. She ignored the throbbing pain in her head. She had bigger things to worry about. The first fight of Beacon Academy and she was already going to lose?

" _Unacceptable!_ " Ruby tensed. It was time to take this more seriously. No more games!

From Weiss's expression, it seemed like she had the same idea.

" _There's no way I'm losing to her. I won't allow it. I refuse to look weak at the only thing I excel at!_ " Weiss thought in determination.

Without another word, the two girls charged at each other, engaged in another brutal fight. This time, neither of them attempted to block or parry the damage. Completely lost in the savagery of a real battle, neither warrior wanted anything less than to see the other bleed! Weiss could feel a fire ignite inside of her, unlike anything she had felt before. Ruby had always felt this when she fought Yang, but to Weiss, this was something new. Ruby could take her hits and keep getting up!

Weiss took a bone-crushing hook to the jaw, before coming right back with renewed energy and delivering a soul-shattering blow to Ruby's stomach. To the spectators, it was like watching a gladiator match. It had devolved from an educational spar into a real battle. Glynda wasn't even sure if she wanted to get in the middle of these two. Fierce red and blue auras became visible on the surface of their skin as the two as the continued to fight at speeds that the teacher was sure _no one_ should be capable of achieving.

"Whoa… sis is getting serious," Yang murmured. Blake merely nodded, glancing at Weiss.

"Yeah… pretty sure Weiss is done playing around as well."

The two were battling it out like their lives depended on it.

Glynda watched as their aura slowly trickled away like water from a faucet. Both were down to the yellow zone now, and the fight seemed to be only heating up more. Ruby and Weiss had evolved into forces of nature, disappearing and reappearing all over the arena at speeds that shouldn't have been possible for first-year students! She had no doubt that Ozpin was watching this through the cameras in the classroom. He was already interested in Weiss and seeing as Ruby was Summer's daughter, there was no way he wasn't watching right now.

After another series of furious attacks, the two girls finally came to a standstill, stuck in a mercy lock. Their hands intertwined with each other, both Weiss and Ruby attempted to push forward, eyes filled to the brim with burning desire to overcome one another.

The longer this fight went on, the more Glynda was convinced these weren't regular students. Not ever in her many years of teaching had she seen _first_ years fight at such an advanced level. This was a fight you would see between fourth-year students at the least. Hell, some graduated huntsmen weren't even _this_ good. It was almost disturbing how talented they were at combat. What was she supposed to do with them? If Yang Branwen and Blake Belladonna were any better, she couldn't have these girls fighting the other students!

It would be a massacre!

"Give up!" Weiss growled through clenched teeth. Ruby continued to push back, an equally furious expression crossing her features. She wasn't angry, in fact, this was the most fun she'd had in months! No, this expression was one of immense concentration and the blazing will to overcome the obstacle in front of her. As they continued to push, neither of them noticed that the floor beneath them was starting to crack and split. Small bits of the arena started to float up around them. Glynda saw this and immediately amplified the protective shields surrounding the arena.

This fight was about to get messy.

"Give up!?" Ruby snapped, pushing Weiss back further. "Don't insult me! This isn't over until one of us drops!"

Weiss held her ground, despite being pushed back. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head, and she let Ruby's momentum push her backward. Weiss fell but also took a surprised Ruby with her. Tucking in her legs, she kicked up into her partner's stomach, sending her spiraling into the air. The audience visibly cringed at the sound of Ruby's aura taking a brutal hit. She was slowly dropping into the red zone. Ruby knew that if she took a few more blows like that, the match would be over.

Weiss then flashed to her feet and jumped to catch up with Ruby's falling form. Zipping past her partner's prone, uncontrolled body, she slammed the back of her elbow into Ruby's upper back, taking a more significant chunk of her aura. She fell and collided with the cracked arena. Weiss landed and dashed towards Ruby. Once again, the smaller girl panicked and her silver eyes flashed once more. Weiss felt a momentary loss of control over her body, and before she even knew it, Ruby was behind her, locking her in a full nelson. Weiss growled as the feeling returned to her body. She turned her head slightly to see Ruby's eyes clenched shut due to the horrible pain she was experiencing.

Summer had warned Ruby about overusing her unique ability. She was still young, and her silver eyes were dangerous if used too much in a short period.

"You little-!" Weiss hissed as she tried to escape from the hold, only to find her entire upper torso was locked tight by Ruby's hold. She tried to kick the girl's shins, but Ruby's stance almost made that impossible. She couldn't get a direct hit on them. The more she struggled, the more she was starting to lose her strength and get frustrated. Ruby was holding on for dear life, knowing that if Weiss got free, she would win. She was one hit away from the red zone, while Weiss was still sitting comfortably in the middle of the yellow zone. "Let me go!"

"Not… until you… concede!" Ruby panted through labored breaths.

By now the audience was just watching with bated breath, waiting for the final outcome. This fight had been going on for just over ten minutes, and both girls seemed to be going at each other like they were trying to kill one another! Since when were spars taken so seriously!?

Who was going to win? Was it going to be Weiss or Ruby? Both seemed to be even all throughout the fight! Weiss seemed to have the edge at the start, but now the tables had been turned!

The two girls began to pant as they clawed to overcome their partner's strength. Ruby held on tightly, refusing to let go of her only chance of victory while Weiss continued to waste her energy trying to escape from the hold Ruby had locked her into. A familiar sensation was starting to rise in her chest as the _need_ to break through this barrier became more apparent.

It was like her soul had been lit aflame, a feeling she was all too familiar with.

It was a part of her she had locked away in secret, and only brought out when she was comfortable using it. She had always made sure no one was around when accessing it.

Her semblance.

The golden transformation she had almost killed Winter with.

She could feel the sensation rising in her very being as the need to win overcame her.

In a single moment, a golden flash exploded around Weiss, her hair was bathed in a pristine golden glow, and her eyes shifted to a sea green color.

With a grunt, she ripped herself from Ruby's hold, much to the girl's shock. In less than a second, she turned, her fist already in motion. Colliding with Ruby's jaw, the girl was sent flying straight out the arena and through the protective shields. Her aura shattered the moment she hit the ground. Lying only a few meters away from Crescent Rose, she momentarily managed to crawl forward and pull herself to her feet, using the handle to pull herself up. She gazed back to the arena, where all eyes in the classroom were locked onto.

Standing in the middle of the arena, Weiss was clad in a bright golden, flaming aura.

Her eyes held no happiness.

No forgiveness.

However, after a few moments, the girl blinked the seriousness away, realizing that Ruby was out of bounds and out of aura. She had won, and she still managed to maintain the control over her semblance! Even now, she could feel the trickle of her stamina slowly dripping away from her body, the transformation slowly eating at her aura and energy reserves. She hated using this form, and only ever pulled it out when she needed to win.

It still terrified her that she had almost killed the one person she ever loved in her life when she had first used it. She lacked the confidence to use it, despite knowing how to trigger it at will, and she wasn't sure how she was going to fix that issue. Winter had told her that she would get over it eventually, but it seemed like it was taking longer than she had anticipated.

"Whoa…" Ruby murmured as she stood up and brushed herself off. "Weiss, you're glowing! How are you doing that?"

"It's…" Weiss's voice died in her throat as she tried to come up with a reasonable explanation. She brought her hands up to her face, noting that her pale skin had grown brighter and was practically glowing with raw power. Whenever she actually dared to use her semblance, it was the most amazing feeling ever. She felt like nothing could possibly stand in her way. Everything crumbled before her, and the world itself felt like it could bend to her will. The power was intoxicating, but she knew how dangerous it could be if she ever lost control. People would die, and she would cause so much suffering.

"It's my semblance. I… only really use it when I have to."

"That's… so… _cool_!" Ruby drooled, stars in her eyes. Before she could say anything else, Glynda stepped into the arena and cleared her throat.

"Now that this match has finally been concluded, I think this is a good place to end the class," Glynda stated, sending Weiss a quick glare. Weiss fumbled a bit as she dropped the transformation. She absently turned to the audience as Ruby walked up to her and gave her a friendly punch on the shoulder. Ignoring it, she managed to get a full view of everyone's reactions. Blake and Yang were practically gawking at her, wondering where all that strength and power had come from while everyone else was probably trying to figure out how to beat people like her and Ruby. She had to admit, now that she had a somewhat clearer head, she and Ruby had gotten a bit carried away.

"Keep in mind what you have learned today, and I'll see you tomorrow. Class dismissed."

One by one the students stood up and left the room, mumbling to each other about plans to fight Weiss and Ruby. It was pretty clear that they were the two to beat considering they had practically performed feats equal, or better than that of an experienced huntsman. As the two girls picked up their discarded weapons and clipped them back to their belts, Professor Goodwitch stalked over towards the two with a curious look on her face. The two could tell she was impressed, but also slightly disturbed.

"I have to congratulate you two for such an... _outstanding_ display of combat ability and prowess," Glynda praised. "It comes as no surprise to me that you two are as good as you appear to be. The daughter of Summer Rose, and the sister of Winter Schnee. Both of you are already far along the path of surpassing your elders. While powerful, and resourceful, there are still ways for you to go. You two clearly lost yourselves in the heat of the battle, something which can be rather dangerous to do. Try to keep a clear head during battle. You never know what kind of enemies you will be facing that can take advantage of your weaknesses," Glynda lectured. The two girls nodded thankfully as the professor smiled.

"Thank you, Professor," Weiss replied respectfully. Ruby nodded happily as she watched Blake and Yang stroll down from the spectator seats. Glynda took this moment to give the girls a professional nod before turning and heading for the staff exit. Once she was gone, team WBRY was alone in the combat classroom. Since they didn't have another class to attend, they weren't in any hurry. Besides, they had been unfortunate enough to miss lunchtime today, so they took a small break between their classes.

"That was incredible!" Yang praised as she patted both her sister and Weiss on the shoulders. "It's been awhile since I've seen a fight like that. Normally it's Ruby and I that get into those kinds of fights. Our parents don't even dare to get involved. Props to you for winning, Weiss!" she finished with a supportive smile. The silver-haired girl merely rubbed her shoulders, unused to the show of praise. It didn't help that Blake started joining in on that as well.

"That was an impressive fight, Weiss," Blake said, giving the girl a friendly smile. "I have to admit, your semblance really caught us by surprise. I haven't seen many semblances that transform people. I hear they are quite rare. I could practically feel the power rolling off you. What exactly does it do?" the bowed girl queried. Weiss was silent for a few moments before she exhaled dramatically. She didn't like talking about her semblance because there were aspects to it she didn't quite understand. Winter had helped her study it when she finally gathered the courage to activate it in front of her, and even then that was only once or twice. Weiss came to realize she was stubborn when it came to showing off her semblance.

"It's complicated…" Weiss struggled to find the words. Gazing toward her three teammates easily told her that they were willing to wait to learn what it was. She groaned quietly as she recalled her early discoveries when using the transformation alone. "It's strange, really. My semblance allows me to multiply my strength, speed, and reaction time several times over. It's a constant drain on my stamina, and if I push it too far, it starts to deplete my aura. As for why my hair and tail turn blonde, I don't have a clue."

"Your eyes changed color as well," Yang commented, causing Weiss to nod.

"Yeah, I don't know why it changes me physically. I guess it's just part of the process. It's one of those things I've just come to accept about it," the Schnee retorted. Yang chuckled at her dismissal of such a power.

"Oh come on! Lighten up! It's an awesome semblance! Hell, if I could turn blonde and become several times stronger, I wouldn't complain. It would be a dream come true! I've always wanted to have blonde hair, but my mom would never let me dye it," Yang laughed. Her red-caped sister also joined in on the laughter, imagining Yang with blonde hair. For some strange reason, she believed it would have suited her older sister much better than her black hair. Sometimes she looked too much like Raven for her to tell the difference.

"You have to show us later. I would like to see it up close," Blake commented. Weiss's eyes widened a bit at that.

"Are you sure? I-I mean, it's… everything feels like glass when I use my semblance. Sometimes I can't control my own strength. I try not to use it when I can avoid it."

"I'm sure we'll be fine," Blake smirked. "Besides, Ruby took a hit to the jaw while you were using your semblance. She seems fine to me," Blake gestured to the smaller girl. Ruby gave her partner a thumbs up, letting her know she was perfectly okay. Weiss was genuinely surprised at this, seeing as Ruby had indeed taken a full powered hit from her semblance. Not even Winter had managed to do that and get back up, and her sister was one of the strongest people she knew!

"Okay, I'll show you guys later when we get back to our dorm."

"Yay!" Ruby cheered. "We get to see Weiss transform again!"

"Let's just get to our next class before we end up with detention…" Weiss retorted, a little bit of exhaustion lacing her voice.

She never would have thought she would have met someone her age that was capable of taking such a powerful attack with virtually no aura. There was no doubt in her mind now that Ruby was a very talented, and very strong individual. Additionally, she had a feeling that the rest of her team was just as strong as her partner. Something about Blake and Yang told Weiss that her partner was not the strongest amongst their group. It was like a gut feeling, but she could say that her two black-haired teammates were stronger than Ruby. She didn't know why, but it was almost like she could read their strength just by looking at them.

Weiss wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but she and the rest of her team would definitely find out soon.

=/=

* * *

=/=

The moment class had concluded, Professor Goodwitch had made sure her first destination was Ozpin's office.

Needless to say, she had a lot to talk to him about concerning their newest batch of students, especially pertaining to the newly minted team WBRY.

Never before had she seen two fighters so easily lose themselves in a battle. She was at a loss for words watching the spectacle, and she knew for a fact that Ozpin had clued into the fight before it had even started. She had known Ozpin for many years, and the elusive man still had thousands of mysteries he refused to tell, hidden behind a facade she knew he kept up with remarkable patience.

Ozpin was no ordinary man, and for the longest time, she had been trying to figure out exactly who he was, but to no avail.

He was a man with a vast intellect, and after an extended period, Glynda had come to trust the man with whatever decision he had made. He had proven time and time again that he knew more about people than she would have ever guessed. He had watched students arrive at his prestigious school and knew exactly how far they were going to go, and exactly what kind of hunters they would be. While sometimes proven wrong, overwhelmingly his predictions were to the letter. It was why she did not argue over him letting Jaune Arc into his school. If such a boy, with no training in combat, were able to interest Ozpin enough, then Glynda would not refuse him.

However, now she had witnessed what seemed to be history in the making. Not once had she ever seen such raw power and talent in a student. Weiss and Ruby, and no doubt Yang and Blake were students that Ozpin had let in without so much as a second thought. At first, she thought nothing of it, but her interactions with Weiss before the start of the new year semester had been… enlightening to say the least. The girl was the complete opposite of what was expected of the Schnee name. Weiss was often timid and hesitant to approach people or cause trouble.

It didn't take a genius to figure out this was probably due to her poor treatment as a faunus. Being born into the Schnee family must have been a living nightmare for her. Glynda was more than aware what Jacques Schnee was like. His blatant disregard and discrimination against the faunus species had only grown over the years, and no doubt Weiss's birth hadn't helped.

However, Weiss Schnee was a natural born genius when it came to fighting. The blonde deputy had observed her on occasion, and Glynda had quickly made the prediction that she was probably going to be one of the strongest, if not _the_ strongest in her year group, despite the knowledge that Pyrrha Nikos was attending Beacon this year. Even so, what she had seen in the arena with Weiss fighting against Ruby, was not something she had been prepared to witness. The two fought at the levels equal to that of a veteran huntsman. Every movement was precise and almost lethal. She had been about to intervene and remind the girls that it was a spar until she realized the two had been playing around.

How was she supposed to teach a bunch of girls who already knew more than a fourth year would about combat? Now that she thought about it in more detail… how was she supposed to put these girls up against anyone else in their year group without them completely making a mockery of the other students? It would be a completely one-sided fight! No one would learn anything! The more she thought about this fact, the more she was starting to get a headache.

" _What am I supposed to teach a team about combat when there would be nothing to challenge them? Why even bother attending a huntsmen academy when they are clearly far above everyone else? It doesn't make any sense,_ " Glynda thought as the elevator doors opened to Ozpin's office. Just like she had thought, the man was sitting at his desk drinking his routine hot chocolate. She was starting to think he was becoming addicted to the beverage since he went everywhere with the damn cup. Strolling forward, she stopped just in front of his desk and crossed her arms.

"Well?" she questioned. The man looked up from some of the paperwork that lay scattered across his desk, leaning back in the process. He had a knowing look in his eyes, something that Glynda was all too familiar with. "I know you saw what happened. Don't even pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about," she finished curtly.

"Yes. I saw the practice match between Ms. Rose and Ms. Schnee. Quite interesting, isn't it? Truly fascinating how they could possess so much raw power within themselves. I have never seen so much talent within youth before now," Ozpin mused to himself. Glynda remained relatively silent as she waited for a proper response. "I suppose the question that is on your mind is how do we deal with such gifted students? Well, I wouldn't hold my breath, because I'm not quite sure myself."

"If it were up to me, I would push the entire team up to the fourth year group, however, I know that won't be the case," Glynda stated as she pulled out her scroll, tapping away at it for the next few moments, attempting to bring up their files. History and all kinds of records she was able to access, but seeing as Weiss and Blake didn't have much to their background, it was hard to get a gauge on where they stood academically. "All of them have displayed skills far beyond a first year's capability. Despite not seeing Ms. Branwen and Ms. Belladonna fight, I can confidently say that their performance during initiation was astounding. If Ms. Rose and Ms. Schnee are performing to such a level, I have no doubt those two will produce similar results."

"However, as a team, they have yet to form a proper synergy with one another. If we were to push them up to the fourth year group, no doubt they would be more of a challenge for some of our better and more experienced older students. However, they have yet to fight together, and if you haven't noticed, all four of them tend to prefer to fight their battles on their own," Ozpin recalled as he pressed a button on his desk, bringing up holographic footage of initiation. It had recorded Blake standing back while Yang engaged the Deathstalker. It showed Weiss tapping her foot impatiently as Ruby rode a Nevermore. The scenes before Glynda only made her roll her eyes.

"I can see that. Also, most of their academic records aren't exactly anything to brag about. Ms. Rose and Ms. Branwen had rather… undesirable grades at Signal. They only just scraped through, and it was because of the girl's exceptional combat skill that they were able to meet the requirements to graduate. Ms. Schnee's academics weren't as bad, but they certainly were lacking before I started tutoring her. Ms. Belladonna seems to have been homeschooled most of her life, but her scores aren't anything to brag about either," Glynda listed off as she scrolled through the profiles. All four of them were exceedingly proficient in combat, and lacking in all other areas.

"An interesting combination, truly. I do wonder if I made the correct decision pairing those girls together. I have heard many stories from Qrow and Summer about Ruby and Yang. They thrive in combat, but in any other area, they struggle to keep up with those around them. The fourth-year curriculum would overwhelm them, and so I think it would be best to keep them in their own year group," Ozpin replied, causing Glynda to frown as the obvious question still hadn't been answered.

"Combat class is going to be a cakewalk for all four of them! I might as well keep them fighting each other if they want to improve. If I set them against anyone else, they will crush them! What am I to do with these girls, Ozpin?" Glynda questioned. The headmaster knew it was a tricky question. Prodigies only came along every now and then, and here he was with a team of four of them. He had seen the footage Winter had sent him of Weiss's training, and he had been informed continuously about Ruby and Yang's progression. The only one he didn't know about was Blake, and while that didn't bother him, he still had to wonder about how these four shared such a passion for combat.

Perhaps… he should have placed them on different teams? It would be unexpected, but not unheard of...

"There isn't much we can do without the situation looking like a case of favoritism. We will have to treat them like they are any other student, and that means setting them against other people when the time is appropriate," Ozpin remarked professionally. Glynda found herself nervously chewing her lip at the idea of any of team WBRY taking a match too seriously with one of the other students. It wouldn't be the first time a student had been sent to the hospital because a fight had gotten out of hand or ended sourly. Often she found that students tended to take out their aggression during sparring matches, or settled disputes between each other in her combat lessons.

It was a combat school after all. If you couldn't step up to the challenge, then you didn't belong here. One of the many responsibilities of being Humanity's future defenders.

"I can't be the only one thinking of the repercussions here of one of those girls accidentally cripples someone with their immense strength! At least Ms. Schnee and Ms. Rose have some kind of control over their actions when they fight. If Ms. Branwen has inherited anything from her mother… I fear for the safety of her classmates. I can't count how many times I've had to step in and prevent Raven from attempting to finish off her opponent," Glynda voiced with concern. Ozpin had to agree with that point. Raven and Qrow had come from a dangerous and bloody background. It had slipped his mind that there was a chance that Yang could have inherited any of those tendencies.

"I guess we will see when Ms. Branwen faces off against Ms. Belladonna tomorrow in class, won't we? I'm sure Blake will be able to handle herself, considering she had managed to beat Qrow upon her arrival to Vale," Ozpin noted with some amusement. Glynda's eyes widened at this new information. If that girl was able to beat the likes of Qrow, one of the best huntsmen Beacon had ever produced, what kind of damage could she do to her classmates if she lost her temper!?

"She managed to beat _Qrow_!?" the female professor exclaimed in shock. Ozpin merely chuckled.

"Oh yes, it was quite amusing hearing how it happened from Taiyang. He had been drunk and picked a fight when Ms. Belladonna bumped into him on her way home. She is quite tactful and aware of her surroundings. Taiyang praised her for her skill and battle sense. She didn't seem to have any trouble fighting Qrow head on," the wise headmaster mused, taking a sip of his hot beverage. "Although, I will admit. It was quite concerning hearing that one of my most trusted associates was bested by a teenager. However, upon investigating this girl, I found something rather interesting," he continued, drawing intrigue out of his colleague.

"What might that be?" she asked with a sense of curiosity. What could possibly surprise her now?

"Ms. Belladonna made history when she was born," Ozpin retorted, causing Glynda to raise her eyes at the remark. "She was born with _two_ faunus traits. One of them she hides behind her bow, and the other she does a great deal to hide when she is able. Both of them, are completely separate faunus characteristics," the headmaster finished. It took a few moments for the information to fully process through Glynda's head. She wasn't a total expert on faunus biology, but she was almost certain that faunus were unable to have more than one trait, let alone two _different_ ones.

"That's not-"

"Possible?" Ozpin finished for her. Taking another sip of his beverage, he sat it down, his expression turning serious. "No, it has been proven to be biologically _impossible_. Those faunus who have been born with two different traits have died shortly into their childhood of sickness or other related biological complications. There have been reports about her that are highly classified in Mistral's medical records. There are professionals still trying to figure out exactly how she has been able to live this long and be so healthy."

"But what does that mean?" Glynda asked, clearly confused. "If faunus can't have two characteristics, then what does that mean for Blake?" she finished, as Ozpin once again leaned back in his chair. He was silent for a few moments before he got up and walked over to the window, looking out over the horizon as the sun glared unforgivingly down upon the Kingdom of Vale.

"I'm not sure myself, Glynda. I have a theory and considering all the secret wars we have waged behind the scenes, and all the secrets we have kept from the people of Remnant… I wouldn't be surprised if this turned out to be true," the man stated. Glynda couldn't be any more confused and curious at the same even if she tried. Ozpin liked to speak in riddles, but she had learned from experience to let him get to the point on his own time. It allowed the man to think of what he was saying.

"What is your theory then?"

There were a few moments of silence until Ozpin turned to her with a grim look spread across his features.

"Aside from Blake, I do not believe team WBRY to be faunus at all," Ozpin stated seriously. Glynda wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't been here to hear the words come out of his mouth. "I believe they are something we have never seen before. Something new. Something… _alien_."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **That's a wrap! Ozpin is already catching on. He is an immortal man after all. He's been around for quite a long time and he'll know when something's up. He doesn't know everything though.**

 **So this chapter we had Ruby vs Weiss, obvious by the title I know. We'll get Blake vs Yang-soon, so don't worry. Then we'll get into the meat of Volume one. Hopefully, that won't take more than a few chapters, considering we are pretty much already over the halfway point. Volume two and three is where the real fun starts.**

 **Also I take back what I said about Super Saiyan three. It will probably be a thing, however, most likely only one of them will achieve it. Which one, I'll keep that to myself. Once again, Super Saiyan Four is still on the table. The poll is still up, so feel free to vote.**

 **Votes as of now, for Super Saiyan 4 are:**

 **60 - Yes**

 **47 - No**

 **I don't care - 9**

 **Until next time!**


	10. Signs of the Super Semblance

**A/N:**

 **Okay! This story isn't dead! I swear. I still work on it, just bit by bit. University and work and been killer so my time has been limited to a singular story, basically whatever is on my mind. Recently it has been Rebirth of a Legend but I'm hoping to be more versatile when I update. This story is struggling a little with Super's hiatus. I don't really want to end the story at the Tournament of Power. Doesn't feel like a satisfying end to me, so I'm stuck thinking of a good endpoint so I can work towards it.**

 **Without further ado! Here's the chapter!**

* * *

 _Chapter Ten: Signs of the Super Semblance_

"Finally!" Ruby cried as the team entered their dorm room after a long day of classes. "I can sleep! I can't believe how much more difficult classes at Beacon are than at Signal. Everything is so boring!" she groaned as she flopped onto her bed.

Despite it being their first official day of Beacon _and_ missing two classes, the team of four finally managed to return to their quarters for a night of rest. While combat class had been their first class, and arguably their most exciting one, they went on to attend three more classes before the day was officially over. Yang had slept through most of it, while Blake attempted to do her best to learn, but found her concentration wavering considerably as the day came to a close. Ruby had tried to entertain herself at every opportunity but ultimately ended up staring into space, boredom clear in her expression. The only one who had paid attention and took everything in was Weiss, and even then it was difficult for her to stay focused.

Winter had constantly lectured her on the importance of maintaining a good academic standing, and the doctrine had been burned into Weiss' mind. It was vastly important to be knowledgeable and informed when it came to tackling certain issues, and as a Schnee, she would be put into situations that would require improving her skills in public relations. Weiss knew for a fact that her combat skills wouldn't help her there, and that was all the motivation she needed to force herself to focus.

Unfortunately, her teammates did not seem to have a similar mindset.

"What did you expect?" Blake drawled in monotone. "Beacon isn't all about fighting, it's about learning how the world works. We aren't just going to be fighting Grimm when we graduate, there are criminals and other lowlifes out there that we'll have to deal with," the black bowed girl finished as she hopped up onto her bed and pulled out a trusted black book from under her pillow. Lazily she opened the page she had bookmarked and immediately lost interest in the conversation.

"I know that!" Ruby weakly defended with a sigh, not noticing that Blake had stopped listening. "I just thought that… ya know, the other classes might have had a little bit more of a, eh… practical side to them? Sitting for hours on end writing things into textbooks is just so freaking _boring_!" she complained. Yang rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"At least you got to fight Weiss today! Blake and I had to sit on the sidelines and watch! We didn't get to do anything, and yet you're complaining about having to sit through all those other classes. You are so annoying when you complain like that, you know?" Yang retorted off-handedly. Ruby shrugged, completely ignoring the insult that Yang had tossed her way. Her older sister often got like that when she was grumpy. It seemed like something she shared with Raven.

"Oh yeah!" Ruby grinned, turning to Weiss who was sat at a wooden desk. The silver-haired Schnee had taken out a textbook and was currently revising the notes she had taken during the day. If she couldn't fully absorb what was said in class, the best she could do was write down what the teacher was saying and review it later. "You said you were going to show us your semblance, Weiss. We only got to see it for a few moments. Come on!" the little reaper cheered. Weiss immediately felt a cold sweat form on the back of her neck.

"I… guess I did say that," Weiss mumbled, a look of apprehension in her eyes. "Do I really have to? I'm kind of tired. My semblance is quite draining."

"We are in our room," Blake pointed out, rejoining the conversation now that something this interesting was on the table. "If you feel tired after showing us, you can lie down."

Weiss thought about it for a moment. She wasn't exactly confident with the transformation, and she found it was very easy for her to lose her temper whilst in the form. She could recall several instances where she had smashed or put her hands through walls out of frustration when normally she would have much more restraint than that. Much to Winter's dismay, her older sister had to pay for a lot of repairs when Weiss was training by herself. The conversations had been awkward to explain, and it never got easier over time.

"Alright," Weiss sighed, standing up. "I guess showing you guys can't hurt."

"Oh man," Yang grinned as she sat cross-legged on her bed, eagerly anticipating the transformation. "This 'ought to be good."

Weiss positioned herself in the middle of their room and slipped into a stance as she began to search for the trigger to activate her semblance. It was much harder to find under light-stress scenarios like this one. Her semblance seemed to come to her a lot easier when under moments of intense stress. When she had transformed against Ruby, she had been in a tight spot and loathed the idea of losing to a girl who had managed to catch her off guard. Although, with all the training she had been doing, finding the trigger wasn't that difficult. It was like a small flame inside her needed to be lit.

Once she found it, all it took was a pull, and pull she did. In the space of a second, a wave of heat started to drift off the Schnee, which only served to excite her three teammates. Their curtains started to sway in an impossible breeze. Weiss was locked in concentration as she continued to pull on that hidden power inside of her. The added pressure of the three watching her made the process harder, and performing under pressure was something she wasn't quite used to yet.

Despite this, she activated the trigger.

With a slight grunt, a golden aura burst from her body. It surrounded her, the bright yellow flames burning the space around her. Her hair once again shone a golden blonde, while her eyes faded from sapphire blue to sea green. Her hands were balled into fists so tightly that her knuckles went white. She forced herself to stay under control as the transformation immediately began to tax her upon completion. After a few moments, the golden aura vanished, and she was left in a normal transformed state. Weiss exhaled deeply as she looked up at her teammates, who were currently gawking at her physical changes.

"Whoa…" Yang mumbled. "Seeing this up close is crazy!" the charcoal haired girl exclaimed. She leapt from her bed and walked over to Weiss who gazed at the girl strangely. Yang walked around Weiss, examining the full changes of her body. Weiss was slightly more muscular but still retained her feminine shape. Her golden blonde strands of hair had changed all the way down to the roots and not one of Weiss's teammates could figure out why.

"Can you _feel_ that?" Blake whispered. Weiss, along with Ruby and Yang turned to her with a fair bit of confusion. She couldn't quite explain it but it felt like Weiss's aura had grown exponentially since she had transformed. Weiss's very presence in the room felt more… obvious and overwhelming. Cold sweat started to form on Blake's neck as she narrowed her eyes at the girl's new physical changes. The blonde hair and tail, the piercing green eyes. She felt a lot more intimidating than she did a minute ago.

"Feel what?" Ruby asked quizzically. Blake watched with mild amusement on her face as Yang started to play with Weiss' golden hair. The Schnee outcast seemed slightly disgruntled by it but allowed her to do so. As weird as it felt, it did bring back some memories of Winter doing her hair. However, Yang seemed to be more intrigued by how her semblance affected her physical form. The only question running through the young Branwen's mind was how silver hair had changed to pristine gold! "I don't feel anything."

"Damn… so unfair," Yang murmured bitterly as she stepped back. "I love yellow. I would kill to have hair like that, you know?"

"Uh, thanks? Anyway, back on topic," Weiss stated hotly, turning back to Blake. "What do you mean, _feel_? Has something about me… changed? Apart from the physical features, of course. I wasn't aware of any other changes apart from the obvious," she finished. Blake seemed to have trouble putting it into words. Was it really her _aura_ that she was feeling? It was definitely something, and it was bugging her ever since Weiss had changed. There was something about the girl that was much greater than before.

"I-I'm not sure… it's weird. I can't really put it into words. All I can say is that you feel _much_ stronger," Blake explained slowly. Weiss raised an eyebrow at this while Ruby and Yang exchanged looks of pure confusion. The two half-sisters had absolutely no clue what their black themed faunus teammate had said. Weiss, on the other hand, was intrigued by her teammate's strange observation. It was no secret that after the limited times she had used the form, she had discovered that her semblance increased her strength, speed, reflexes, aura, and overall power multiple times over. It was why she never wanted to use it against anyone. There was no thrill of the fight while in that form, and it was only ever used to get her out of tight spots.

Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion, or made of wet paper.

Fighting wasn't fun because nobody could beat her. Not even Winter, and that had been made clear in their first spar. Weiss had shattered the head of a Grimm Goliath with nothing but her fists. The Grimm Goliath's head was known to be the strongest armor the Grimm were capable of forming. It made sense that it was on the biggest of the dark monsters. Weiss had shattered it like it was made of glass. That kind of strength was terrifying, even to her.

Honestly, she was surprised after the hook that Ruby had taken, that the girl's head was still on her body in the correct position!

"It's rather scary how accurate that feeling is, Blake," Weiss started, noting the shocked look on the amber-eyed girl's face. "My semblance increases my physical attributes and senses multiple times over. While I struggled against Ruby without this form due to her innate talent for speed, I'm afraid to say that while using this form, I could probably beat all of you with a hand tied behind my back," the Schnee finished with an impassive look on her face. Ruby went wide-eyed, the prospect of a new obstacle to overcome exciting her, while Yang and Blake looked offended.

"Excuse you?" Yang growled slightly. Blake said nothing but scowled in Weiss's direction. The semblance-enhanced girl threw up her hands, a terrified expression crossing her face.

"I-I meant no offense! I swear! Look it's… I _don't_ like using this form alright?" Weiss stuttered depressively. "I love fighting, and the feeling of a challenge motivates me like nothing else. Ruby should have won that fight because I couldn't quite keep up with her. I feel like I'm cheating when I use my semblance. This _form_ feels like everything moves in slow motion! Not only that, but everything feels like it's made of wet paper! If I'm not careful I could kill someone! I almost killed my-" she cut herself off as a look of absolute horror crossed her face. Her hands started to shake as she immediately reverted from the golden form. Her silver hair, and sapphire eyes returning in a split second.

Ruby was at her side immediately as Weiss stood up and took a few steps back, before sitting down on her bed. Yang and Blake exchanged a brief glance at the sudden shift in the atmosphere. Weiss had said her family situation was undesirable, and the fact that her sister took her away from her abusive household was enough to give the pair an idea on what had happened. Ruby sat next to Weiss with a hand stroking the girl's back in a reassuring manner.

"It's alright, Weiss. We know you didn't mean it like that. You were just trying to give us an example of what your semblance did!" Ruby smiled. The silver-haired girl turned her head to her smiling partner, a brief look of happiness crossing her face. Ruby leaned in for a hug and Weiss shakily returned it. Yang rolled her eyes dramatically while Blake remained unmoved by the action. So Weiss had this amazing power and she was too afraid to use it? While Blake could kind of understand where she was coming from, she didn't like that Weiss wasn't taking any steps to move past her obvious fear.

"Well, I think our first team goal is pretty obvious," Blake voiced suddenly. "Helping our leader gain confidence over her semblance. Sorry, I know you probably have conflicted feelings over whatever happened in the past, but you can't let a power like that go to waste. I won't allow it," the amber-eyed girl declared. Weiss stumbled to find her words only to see both Yang and Ruby slowly nodding their heads in agreement. Weiss knew she had confidence issues with her semblance, and mostly in general, but she did well to hide them! How had she slipped up so easily!?

"Are you sure?" Weiss asked timidly. She suddenly felt self-conscious as the entire team's first goal revolved around her controlling and gaining the confidence to use her semblance. It wasn't even something Winter was able to accomplish. "Really, you don't need to trouble yourselves with such a trivial matter. We have many other things to focus our attention on, not-"

"Nope!" Ruby cut off with a smile. Weiss suddenly found herself being pushed towards her bed by her partner. "Like Blake said, it's up to us to help you master and control your semblance. We're your teammates and there's no way we're going to leave you hanging. That being said, I think it's time we head to bed. We have combat class first thing in the morning!" the girl grinned in excitement. Blake and Yang shared a knowing gaze at each other, knowing for sure that they would meet in the arena tomorrow.

"I guess that's fine. As long as you guys can take it. I don't want to cripple any of you."

"Bah!" Yang scoffed. "We'll be fine. If Ruby can take a hook from you in that transformed state, then any of us can."

Weiss just sighed.

"I hope you know what you're getting yourselves into…"

=/=

* * *

=/=

"Yang Branwen and Blake Belladonna are next. Could you both make your way down to the arena," Ms. Goodwitch requested with a hesitant sigh. If these two were anything like their teammates, then she genuinely wondered if there would be a classroom left after this 'mock' battle.

Just like Ruby and Weiss, Blake and Yang made their way down the stairs toward the arena with two amused and excited expressions. Yang was much more stocky than the rest of her team, so common sense assumed she was the strongest out of the four. Blake was a lot leaner like Ruby, so Glynda assumed the girl would be quite fast. She also pertained a certain look about her. The way she carried herself and observed with a judgemental eye. She was a tactician… that much was obvious. Despite the difference in strength, Glynda actually was expecting Blake to win.

However, she couldn't rule out Yang just yet. The girl was the daughter of Raven Branwen, one of the smartest tactical minds to ever come through Beacon. A prodigy in adaption in the midst of battle. There was no doubt in Glynda's mind that Yang would have inherited those traits. They had been in Yang's transcripts from Beacon. Qrow being himself hadn't written much in her files, only stating that she 'fights like Raven but without the sword'. Glynda couldn't help but wonder what that was going to look like.

"I've been itching to cut loose since initiation," Yang smirked as she cracked her knuckles. Blake remained quiet as she took in Yang's form across from her. "Don't be surprised if I don't go easy on you."

"If you go easy, I'll make you regret it," Blake shot back. Those words only served to fuel Yang's hot-blooded excitement.

"Good. I wouldn't have it any other way," Yang slipped into a stance. Blake continued to stand, a hand slowly drifting toward her sword. Glynda eyed both of them warily. Once again, she had no doubt Ozpin had tuned in to watch the fight. The two girls waited patiently for the go-ahead, and the longer Glynda took, the more the atmosphere of anticipation grew. The entire audience was silent as Ruby sat giddily in her seat. Weiss sat completely still, her hands on her knees and her back straight, giving off the typical Schnee royalty image. It was something Winter had drilled into her.

" _Let's see how strong you two are,_ " Weiss thought to herself.

"You may begin."

The moment the words left Glynda's mouth, Yang exploded into the air, Blake holding a defensive position. Using her gauntlets, she propelled herself forward. Upon reaching her target, the crimson-eyed teen slammed her leg down atop of Blake. Surprisingly, her attack went right through the cat-like teen. Blake's form shimmered and vanished leaving Yang momentarily alone in the arena. In an instant, Blake appeared behind Yang and cleaved the girl's back with her sword, taking an impressive chunk of her aura with it.

Yang stumbled forward, confusion taking control of her mind for a brief moment before she gathered her bearings. She turned to see Blake retreating slightly, her partner's amber colored eyes narrowing on Yang, unblinking and sharp. Seemed like Blake wasn't as straightforward as she thought. Balancing herself, Yang once again went in for a more controlled assault on Blake. Keeping her senses up, she threw various attacks, all ripping through the ghostly visages Blake left behind when dodging. After a few attacks, Yang was starting to understand exactly what was happening.

Blake was using her semblance.

Some form of afterimage left behind while she temporarily escapes using her speed. Brief invisibility, plus the ability to leave behind a perfect image of herself to fool her opponent. Yang would have to be careful about how she attacked. If she wasn't, Blake would take advantage of every opening and this fight would be over almost as quick as it started.

"Interesting semblance," Yang commented as Blake appeared to her side. Yang sidestepped a swipe, years of honed instincts screaming at her to avoid the razor-sharp weapon. She deflected another slash off her bracelets, using the temporary parry to step into Blake's guard and exploit the opening. A direct punch to Blake's chest sent the girl skidding backward. "Too bad I've already got you figured out."

"Please," Blake scoffed. "This is just a warm-up. I'm barely trying."

"Same here."

Their lips curled as they circled each other like two predators. Unlike Weiss and Ruby, these two seemed more restrained and fought with a lot more precision, but there was no doubt they were capable of the same kind of destruction as their two teammates. Blake suddenly vanished and immediately Yang jumped, spinning to kick the space behind her. Blake appeared exactly where Yang was attacking but blocked the devastating kick with her forearm. A grunt escaped the cat-girl's lips as Yang's gauntlets cocked.

An explosion sent Blake barreling backward while Yang chased after her. The agile girl landed on her feet much to Yang's surprise and launched back at her partner. Blake slammed her shoulder into Yang, using her partner's momentum against her. Yang found herself momentarily winded and unable to breathe. The cat-faunus took this opportunity to deliver a combo of attacks, both unarmed and with her sword. Yang's aura was chipped away little by little until the girl finally recovered. When she did, Blake flipped backward to gain some distance.

"You're durability is something else. I'm finding it hard to inflict damage directly," Blake commented with a small smile. Yang wiped a small trail of blood that seeped out of her mouth, mirroring Blake's smirk. Aura didn't protect everything, but it did soften the blows of a lot of attacks. It seemed like Blake had only slightly broken through Yang's aura and done some very minor damage to her. A cut lip wasn't anything to worry about in her case.

"You're a lot like my mother. You value tactics over brute strength. You assumed from my showing off during initiation that I brute force my way through my enemies," Yang chuckled as she straightened up. "You're not wrong, but there are other sides to me as well that you haven't seen yet."

"Oh?" Blake commented with a curious expression. "Care to indulge me?"

"It would be my pleasure," Yang smirked. In a moment, Yang was in front of Blake. The cat-girl's eyes widened at the sudden increase of speed. A bone-crushing hook was delivered to the girl's jaw, knocking Blake backward, turning her entire body into a ragdoll. Landing on her knees she moved immediately, leaving a shadow clone behind in her wake. However, much to her dismay, she found her path blocked by Yang as her clone vanished, completely ignored by her opponent.

"Predictable!" Yang roared as she rammed her knee directly into Blake's stomach. The girl fell backward, but her ankle was grabbed. Tossed into the air by Yang, the stocky teen followed up with a devastating air combo which drained Blake's aura all the way down to the end of the yellow zone. Blake was kicked into the ground, cobweb-like cracks forming from her impact. She looked up briefly to see Yang barreling towards her. Blake growled as she sprung to her feet and launched herself straight towards her opponent. Yang had been expecting her to dodge, not retaliate instantly.

For the second time, Blake slipped through Yang's defenses entirely and nailed the girl in the gut. Yang coughed, crying out in a bit of pain before falling back to the arena, landing on her front while Blake landed on her feet. Blake wasn't about to let Yang regain the stamina she had lost. Equipping her sword, she shot forward to end it, only to have Yang push herself onto her back and catch the oncoming attack with her hands. She tugged and pulled, ripping the sword from Blake's grasp. Before the girl even knew what happened, Yang tackled the girl and a wrestling match had started.

"You know," Yang growled through their intertwined bodies. "I thought fighting you would be easy, considering I fight my mom on a regular basis, and she can teleport-!" Yang grunted as Blake tightened her grip on Yang's arms, Blake coughed as Yang slammed her knee into her side multiple times to try and force Blake to give up her hold.

"I'm not a pushover," Blake hissed.

"Clearly," Yang retorted, labored breaths hindering her normal way of talking. "This is actually one of the hardest fights I've been in for years. Everyone at Signal was weak and fragile… but you're nothing like that!" Yang once again rammed her leg into Blake's side. The cat-girl respond only by tightening her grip on Yang's arms. The two locked stares as Blake finally pushed Yang off and the two backed off from each other. Both of their auras were in the yellow zone, and soon the battle was going to come to a close. "Something tells me you're going to be a good partner."

"Right back at you."

The two once again charged each other, Blake having been disarmed. She knew that with Yang's weapons she was going to have to hit extra hard if she was going to do any damage, while Yang knew she was going to have to strike hard and fast for Blake not to use her semblance and dodge. The two threw out their fists, their knuckles meeting each other in a devastating standstill.

A shockwave erupted from their clash, splitting the ground beneath them apart. Cracks formed across the entire arena from the force of the blow. Neither of the two combatants seemed to have been affected by the cataclysmic result of their sudden clash.

For a split second, Yang's hair flashed blonde.

As did Blake's.

Weiss' breath caught in her throat, her eyes widening.

" _Was that…? No… it can't be_."

Ruby, on the other hand, looked more confused than shocked.

"Did Yang's hair just change color? I'm not seeing things am I?" Ruby questioned. Clearly, her focus had been on Yang, because she clearly missed Blake's brief change as well. It happened at exactly the same time and Weiss had seen both occur. She was too far away to see if their eyes had changed as well, but it was only for a split second. The two combatants seemed to notice the change as well. They had momentarily paused, looking at each other strangely, then spared Weiss a quick glance.

" _Was I seeing things?"_ Yang thought in slight confusion.

" _Her hair changed,"_ Blake mused. " _Just like Weiss'. Did mine also change? She seems confused as well._ "

However, as quickly as that surprise came, it was gone, their focus returning to the fight at hand.

A few mirrored attacks later, and somehow the fight ended with Blake and Yang knocking each other into the red-zone at the same time.

"Both fighters have fallen into the red zone. I will conclude this match as a draw," Glynda stated as she turned to the two girls. "Ladies, please return to your seats. We have many notes to take after today's performance."

As Blake and Yang returned to their seats, Weiss and Ruby couldn't help but think about what happened.

How could they be showing the same signs of having the same semblance as Weiss? Especially for Blake when she thought she had already unlocked her own?

=/=

* * *

=/=

"So… you're saying we can turn blonde as well?"

Weiss exhaled for possibly the hundredth time. This conversation had been difficult to have and she knew it was going to be troublesome the moment they all sat down in the cafeteria. Both Blake and Yang had been eager to figure this out the moment they exited the training room. They had their lunch break straight after, so Weiss thought it would be the best time to discuss it. The four of them were sat at a table with countless empty dishes around them.

Surprisingly, all four of them had unexplainable appetites, which Weiss and Blake did better at hiding than Yang and Ruby. To say they drew the attention of every student in the cafeteria would be an understatement. With the way the four girls were eating, they had practically stunned everyone into silence as Blake and Weiss tried to civilly hide their monstrous appetite, while Ruby and Yang obliterated anything that was in front of them. Needless to say, they were quite the outliers when it came to Beacon Academy's first year teams. Although, that had been quite clearly established since day one.

"I know what I saw and I'm pretty sure Ruby saw it too. You both turned blonde for a split second," Weiss explained as she gazed at the two. "I've always had my doubts about my semblance because the Schnee family's semblance is supposed to be hereditary. Despite who my father is, I know my mother is a Schnee by blood. I _should_ have the same semblance as my sister, but I don't," she finished. Blake and Yang shared a questionable gaze as Blake cleared her throat.

"Well, whatever it is, it's not a semblance, because I already have mine. I can leave afterimages behind to take hits for me. I can even infuse dust into them if I'm quick enough. Whatever this… transformation is, it's not semblance related," Blake stated. "It's something completely different. If Yang and I do have the ability to tap into the power you possess, you have to teach us how," the girl finished, jumping straight to the point. Weiss recoiled slightly, a frown crossing her face.

"Now hold on a second! I-I'm not sure if I can do that… I mean," Weiss trailed off, a fearful tone slipping into her voice. "It took serious emotional pain for me to even tap into it and even then it took me months to learn how to control it. It's not something I can just teach, even if you guys can access it as I can."

"Emotional pain?" Yang questioned with a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"I had a fight with my sister. There was some screaming and I… sort of tapped into it without even knowing. I almost killed her. I felt like I _needed_ to teach her a lesson. I _needed_ her to feel the pain that I had felt," Weiss explained as her head fell into her hands, tears threatening to escape her eyes. However, she clamped down on her emotions and refused to let any fall. "The power just sort of came and I overpowered her in seconds. It just sort of happened for me. I don't know if I want any of you to experience something like that."

"Yeah… that doesn't sound too nice," Ruby added. "Sounds to me like this ability came to you in your time of need. Maybe it's triggered by some kind of need? What were you two feeling when you were fighting each other? I mean, it didn't happen to me when I fought Weiss, but then again… I was just having fun and I didn't really mind who won. I just wanted to try my best," Ruby explained. Weiss had to admit, she didn't share the same feelings as Ruby. Her inner pride refused to let Ruby win, thus triggering her transformation for her and allowing her to break free of Ruby's hold.

"I wanted to prove I was stronger than Blake."

"I wanted to prove I was better."

The two girls statements each had some kind of element of desire to them, but it clearly hadn't quite been enough to push them over the edge towards the transformation. Weiss thought on this for a few moments. Her feelings were crystal clear that day when she fought with Winter. Her emotions had been running wild but if there was one thing she knew, it was that she _needed_ Winter to understand the pain she endured while her sister was away. While practically even in that fight, Weiss had a feeling Winter would be stronger than her, so that need to beat her pushed her into that state.

From the looks of it, Blake and Yang were basically equal.

"Perhaps you need someone stronger than you to give you the extra push? I'm not quite sure what else to say. I'm still honestly shocked that you two have shown the ability to transform as well," Weiss stated as she turned and looked at Ruby out of the corner of her eye. "I wonder if you can as well?" Weiss finished. Ruby didn't seem particularly thrilled at the idea based on what Weiss had already said. The red-caped girl merely shrugged. Before Ruby had a chance to say anything, team JNPR had come over and sat down next to the four girls.

"Hi Weiss, is it okay if we sit here?" Pyrrha asked politely. Weiss returned the good-natured question with a smile. Her first impression with Pyrrha the other day before initiation was -in her sister's well put words- satisfactory. The redhead was kind and well spoken, so there wasn't much else Weiss would have expected from the girl. In fact, anyone who was even remotely nice to her, she was willing to give a chance at friendship. God-forbid she would be subjected to the isolation she endured in her childhood.

"Sure. We could use the company. How have you guys been?" she replied. The blonde in their group seemed to be the one about to answer her. Weiss recognized him immediately, but for some reason, the boy's name had slipped her mind. She did recall her first impression of the boy not being as favorable as Pyrrha's.

"We've been getting to know each other. It's rather… interesting sharing a room with girls," Jaune replied nervously. Nora chuckled mischievously while a light blush crossed Pyrrha's face. Ren, on the other hand, seemed completely neutral. Blake found his lack of reaction to be rather interesting. His quiet demeanor showed that he was well in control of his emotions, both visibly and internally. Blake had a feeling he was much stronger than he looked.

"You don't mind that we're faunus, right?" Yang questioned hesitantly. She spoke from experience. Normally when most people sat next to them only to see the tail, they would move away. Those were in her younger years however and she came to realize quite quickly as she grew up, that children were ignorant and selfish. Tolerance and understanding of differences came with age, and even then some people couldn't seem to accept it.

"Oh!" Pyrrha exclaimed suddenly, raising the eyebrows of the entirety of team WBRY. "Of course not. I view faunus and humans equally. I don't see any reason to treat them differently."

"That's good," Blake replied. "We would have had problems otherwise."

Pyrrha eyed Blake nervously. Her stand-offish tone didn't seem to lighten the mood. Fortunately, the lighter of the group laughed, breaking the tense atmosphere.

"Aw come on, Blake! Lighten up!" Ruby chuckled. "I'm sure these guys are cool with us. They've already seen our tails in class. If they didn't like faunus, why would they bother coming over to ask us if they could sit next to us?" she questioned. Blake merely rolled her eyes and refused to respond. Ruby had a decent point there and Blake's refusal to respond sent Yang into fits of giggles. Weiss was just happy her team seemed to be getting along without tearing each other's throats out. She had heard horror stories around campus before she officially started here. Some teams… had difficulties in that regard.

"I'm starving!" Nora exclaimed suddenly as she sat down next to Yang, Ren taking his place beside the ecstatic orange-haired girl. In moments, she was tearing through her food like a starved dog. Yang watched with mild fascination as the girl devoured her food while her calm and graceful partner ate his food carefully and respectively.

"I like this girl," Yang smirked as she returned to her own food. Weiss paled a bit. Weiss and Pyrrha descended into idle chatter while Ruby focused mainly on her food. Jaune awkwardly sat next to Pyrrha and was glancing back and forth between everyone to see who he could talk to. Yang seemed occupied with her food, whilst chatting with Nora and Ren whenever she didn't have her mouth full and Blake seemed to be stuck in intense thought.

After a few minutes, Jaune opened his mouth to say something, only to cut himself off when a girl cried out across the other side of the cafeteria. A girl seemingly taller than the rest of the first years was tripped over by a stocky male. She had long bunny ears that were very noticeable, stretching almost an arm's length out from the top of her head. Her tray of food had hit the floor, with her following only seconds later. The man responsible for her situation laughed as his team followed him off to sit somewhere else.

This event had seemingly drawn the attention of the table where team WBRY and JNPR occupied.

"Dick!" Yang hissed, unintentionally bending the silver-wear she had in her hands. The rest of JNPR looked appalled at the act, immediately noting that team CRDL was to be avoided.

"Despicable," Pyrrha growled under her breath.

"Can I break his legs?" Nora whispered to Ren. The boy shook his head in disapproval but he didn't look any less displeased by the situation. On the other hand, Weiss Schnee merely sighed in disappointment. While Beacon Academy was mostly free of prejudice, there were always a few that held onto the racist views passed down to them by the previous generation. She tried to convince herself that it wasn't really their fault and the only people to blame were the ones who raised them to be like that.

"There is always one isn't there?" Weiss muttered. Blake seemed unaffected by most of what was going on. It was nothing new to her. She had memories of this kind of stuff happening to her all the time back in Mistral. No one stood up for her. Why should she even bother standing up for this girl? If she wasn't strong enough to deal with it on her own, then that was her problem.

"I don't get it. If you don't like someone, why can't you just leave them alone? Why go out of your way to make their life harder?" Jaune asked, genuinely annoyed at what Cardin had done. Weiss sighed, recalling her own experiences with people stuck in their own stubborn ways. Her father was a prime example of this.

"Some people are just like that. They don't care about other people, specifically faunus in some cases… and they- wait," Weiss cut herself off when she realized her partner was suddenly absent from the table. "Where's Ruby?"

"Oh no," was all Yang said as she saw her sister casually walking over to the four bullies. Before anyone had the chance to stop her, she had tapped Cardin on the shoulder. The boy turned around and scowled at her, as did the rest of his team. However, they were less inclined to pick on her for her faunus trait considering the feats she had pulled off in class the other day.

"You should really apologize," Ruby started, glaring at the stocky male responsible for tripping the rabbit faunus. "That was mean and she didn't deserve it."

Cardin and the rest of his team regarded her briefly. Her furry brown tail waved idly behind her, a detail they weren't stupid enough to miss. However, the memory of what she and her silver-haired partner were capable of in combat class made them think twice about opening their mouths to say something they might regret. The three males, minus their leader, whispered amongst each other while Cardin just scowled.

"Mind your own business," he snarled. Ruby returned the favor.

"You can't pick on other people just because they're different than you," Ruby argued. "I'm a faunus too. I won't just sit around when I see people like me being treated like this just because of the way they look!" Ruby declared. Her voice had risen to quite a degree, enough to draw the attention of most of the students in the cafeteria. A couple of third and fourth-year teams had turned to watch the event as if this wasn't anything new.

"Looks like the new blood are disagreeing over faunus rights again."

"Every damn year it seems…"

"There's always a few teams that are ignorant enough to hold onto old racist traditions."

"Doesn't help that there always seems to be a bunch of faunus ready to get violent the moment someone looks at them the wrong way."

All these murmurs didn't go unnoticed by Ruby or the rest of her team. There were various other whisperings about the matter. It seemed that this was a regular occurrence at the beginning of each new school year.

"Look, stay out of our business and I'll stay out of yours," Cardin reasoned with a hint of danger to his tone. He knew this girl was strong, but he wasn't about to roll over in defeat just because she displayed some amazing feats in combat, _for an animal anyway_. "So get lost."

"Not until you apologize to her," Ruby gestured to Velvet who had already climbed back to her feet. She shyly turned to the two, avoiding eye contact. She wasn't even sure what to say, so she slowly started backing away from the confrontation. Cardin cracked a small grin as he stared at Ruby's steel expression. Did she think she was some kind of hero?

"What are you going to do, _make_ me apologize?" he laughed. His team supported him by chuckling weakly alongside him. Ruby's expression darkened, something that happened very rarely. She didn't like to think she was a violent person. Summer had taught her far better. However, spending time around Raven had its influences growing up.

"Ruby," Weiss walked up behind her, breaking the girl out of her darkening emotions. "Let's just leave it. It's not worth it."

"Listen to your animal girlfriend," Cardin growled. "Get lost."

Weiss shot him a glare but ignored it. She had been through far worse with her father. She wasn't about to lose her cool over something so small. Ruby, however, balled her fists angrily. She went to reach out, but her arm was grabbed not by Weiss, but by someone else. Turning with a surprised expression on her face, she saw Yang standing next to her.

"Like Weiss said," Yang added, glaring at Cardin. "This piece of trash isn't worth it. Let's go." she finished. Ruby and Weiss glared at Cardin before they turned around and headed off back to their table. Yang spared a warning glance at the boy before she also turned around and started off back.

"What a bunch of bitches," the leader of CRDL muttered to his team, all of them nodding in agreement. Yang froze, having caught what he had said. Weiss and Ruby also heard, causing them to slow to a halt. Blake, from her comfy seat with JNPR tore her eyes away from the book she was reading. A small smirk crossed her face as she watched Yang exhale deeply before her body started trembling in quiet rage.

"Heh," Blake chuckled mirthlessly, drawing the attention of team JNPR. "This ought to be good."

"Hey," Yang turned, stalking back to CRDL. "Asshole. You forgot something."

"What?" Cardin turned around, only to have his face painfully contort from Yang's fist.

An audible crack silenced the entire mess hall.

Cardin's face collided with his soup fast enough to shatter the bowl and splinter the table. The contents spilled all over him, causing steam to rise from his face. His aura protected him from the burns, but that didn't mean the initial punch didn't hurt.

"Uh oh," Ruby whispered.

Weiss only groaned. It was their second day as a team together! Now it was starting to seem like it would be their last...

The entire cafeteria went deathly silent as all the attention was now focused on Yang and the boy who she had just attempted to drown in his own lunch. Yang took a few steps back and crossed her arms over her chest. Cardin slowly rose from the ground and turned, wiping off the hot liquid from his features. He looked absolutely livid with his attacker. Yang, however, seemed completely unaffected by his hateful stare. Without a moment's notice or a single word, Cardin rushed her.

His punch didn't do much damage though, as his fist was caught effortlessly. Everyone watching the engagement watched with anticipation as Yang sighed, her crimson eyes glancing at Cardin's trapped fist.

"Maybe after this ass kicking you'll think twice about abusing other faunus in a school full of people that can crush you into a pancake," she mumbled with disappointment lacing her tone. Cardin's rage burned brighter than it ever had before but unfortunately, it was overshadowed by Yang's immeasurable strength. In an instant, Yang had lifted her leg, bending it back before pushing forward, directly into Cardin's chest.

The boy suddenly found himself weightless as he was flung from the cafeteria and sent crashing through the window at breakneck speeds.

With her captive audience left speechless, Yang dusted off her hands and turned around to head back to her table, only to be blocked by a very scary individual. Ms. Glynda Goodwitch towered above Ruby, Weiss, and Yang with the darkest of scowls the teenager had ever seen.

"I'm in trouble aren't I?"

"Indeed, Ms. Branwen. My office. Five minutes. Bring your team."

Team WBRY was off to a _fantastic_ start.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Once again, I'm really sorry for such a long wait. I can't guarantee updates will come very quickly. I'm mostly focused on Rebirth of a Legend and This War of Mine at the moment. I have other stories I'm also working on, as well as an original novel with heavy inspiration from RWBY.**

 **Not much else to say. I am always thankful to read the discussions that happen in the review sections. I eagerly await your feedback! See you guys next chapter!**


End file.
